Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Day #447

March 23, 2015

Wow! As I read Rev. David Lose’s Blog, In the Meantime, for March 23, his words struck quite a chord. He writes:
Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to imagine a future all that different from the past? We somehow get stuck in patterns of behavior and eventually come to believe that our past performance isn’t simply a predictor of our future behavior but rather its guarantee. And so the older we grow the less open the future seems and the more ominous the past looms in our lives.
That struck the first chord. Do we get stuck thinking things will never change? Often. Do we give others the benefit of the doubt, believing they can change their ways? Sometimes. No wonder things at times can seem so bleak, especially if our present is far from what we wished it was. We can get mired up thinking that, based on today, we cannot expect tomorrow to be much better.

Well, Rev. Lose continues:
The key to all of this, recent psychological research tells us, is story. Because the past isn’t simply the past, it’s the interpreted past. The past, in short, is the story we’ve told ourselves about the past.
Can you hear the crescendo to the chord that was struck? I’ve been wondering lately if perhaps you read this blog and think, wow, she has a Pollyanna outlook. Or, does her life just always go well? Doesn’t she ever struggle?

Trust me, there are struggles, which I do include when appropriate. But, I think this idea of story, or interpretation, is right on the mark. It’s hopefully the interpretation of what happens in daily life that sticks with me.

Sometimes it would be easier to focus on the negative, the struggle, the pain, the need, but through the process of blogging, I have interpreted that for at least 447 days thus far, there has been something EVERY day that speaks to God’s presence. It may simply be the beginning of spring, or some extra time to unpack, but it’s something that I choose to interpret as God’s blessing, God’s intersection of faith in my life.

Notice, however, that often it is something someone else does that I notice as an indicator of God’s presence. It’s important to remember we are all in this great story of life together. How are you telling your story of the life you have been given?

Blessings.

1 comment:

  1. This is such a thought-inspiring piece; thank you for this today. I, too, have wondered/worried about conveying nothing but a Pollyanna outlook on my own blog... but then, as you have so succinctly pointed out, it's the interpreted past that I am communicating. I tend not to dwell on the pain, suffering, confusion, it's all there too; rather, I try to focus on what's good, happy, promising and moments of God's grace in each day. You are a ray of sunshine in my life, and the lives of so many; I, for one, am grateful to bask in that warmth.

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