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There are two ways to live life. One is to live as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is to live as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein
As I revive this blog, I realize there’s a danger to it. Thinking grand and lofty thoughts is a wonderful thing, but it can’t stop there. These thoughts must give way to action, must produce a change in the way we see and approach life. Otherwise, the exercise is not only futile (wow, I love Merriam-Webster’s definition of this: a completeness of failure or unwisdom of undertaking), it’s a waste of our time.
My pastor said something this week that really made me uneasy. He asked us, “What if God granted all your prayers and requests this week? Would the world be different? Or would it just be your own life that would change?” Wow. That has got to be one of the most poignant things I’ve heard in a very long time.
So you see, I’ve been a bit unsettled this week. It’s like one minute I’m riding through the mountains in the sun, enjoying the warmth and the incredible view, and the next minute I’m suddenly stuck in traffic, and its raining. Hard. Why does it rain so much in Washington? And why can’t we lane split?! But I digress. I’m unsettled.
And then it hits me. They’re related! Well, not the rain and the traffic, cause that would just suck if it was always trafficky when it rains… But the futile thoughts and selfish prayers thing. The reason we’re unable to make long-lasting permanent change is because the things we think about are selfish and self-serving. Things we do just for our benefit aren’t enough! We want more. We need more. We’re wired for much more than ourselves, and I’d go as far as saying we thrive on being a part of something bigger, something grander.
I love music. It’s the universal language. Everyone was built with music in them. God did that on purpose. I think it was to show us that even though we have differences, there are threads of common things in all of us. In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis asserts that “music is the closest thing to heaven that we’ll ever experience on earth”. I think that’s pretty cool.
The need for a grander purpose is like that too. God put that similarity in everyone, and our differences help make it unique and beautiful. It helps us look past those differences and recognize the beauty that our uniqueness gives to it. We respect others that have a passion for something greater than themselves, even if doesn’t resonate with us. There’s just something heavenly about being a part of a greater purpose – something uplifting, something inspiring. Just like music. God’s a pretty smart guy.
We were made for something more, for something grander than ourselves. It is that greater purpose that we ought to think about - thoughts that strive to change the world. Thoughts that rally people together. Thoughts that encourage and ignite passion in others. Thoughts that inspire us to action.