Eventually my thoughts centered around one of the deeper (and most common) ponderings of life... why am I here? For what was I created? What is the purpose of my life?
Hmmm... one must be careful about spending too much time weeding. :)
Actually, I don't think on these things as much as I did in my twenties. In that decade, as most of the big decisions of life were being made, I pondered this quite often.
As the years (literally) flew by, the ponderings about purpose become more on the order of looking back instead of forward... hopefully with few regrets.
No one can live a life with absolutely no regrets as we have a seemingly unlimited number of options before us and it is quite impossible to always make the perfect choice, especially in those gazillion small decisions we make in a lifetime. These I leave to the Creator in a Romans 8:28 kind of way... please weave even my mistakes into something Beautiful.
One of the reasons I love to read biographies of people who have left a mark on the world... those who were used on the larger stage of life... is to see most of them were flawed just like me. It has long been surprising to know how many of those who have gone before accomplished great things while experiencing hardship of illness, financial setbacks, war, political conflict, mistakes, family challenges, and betrayal.
Yet, as they "kept on keeping on", they accomplished that which was set before them. We can look back at their lives and know that for which they were created. As they were living their lives day to day and moment by moment... often the future was enveloped in fog to them. Just like many of us today.
Another value in reading biography is to see that no man is an island. Many of these people had friends and family in the background who provided just what they needed to succeed in their path of life... often a parent or spouse or teacher whose name we would never have known... a person whose successful journey was in the area of influence to another.
Billy Graham has often said he knows when the rewards are handed out in Heaven, many rewards people think should go to him will actually be given to people such as the little old ladies who spend hours in prayer for his ministry (but whom the world does not see).
As I look back at my life so far, there were seasons when my successes in life would appear to be that which could be seen by the world. However, now I know much of my journey has consisted in standing beside family and friends as teacher and encourager... the one whose help and prayers make it possible for them to continue in their God given journey and not depart the Path of Life... or praying until those who have gone prodigal return to the Truth.
One of my great heroes is Susannah Wesley, a wife and mother who was often in seemingly impossible circumstances, yet... did not become bitter against God but kept a strong faith and gave the world children whose great success made her known as they would "rise up and call her blessed".
In particular John and Charles but lesser known arrows sent out to the world to influence their own next generations... her children whose names are not as common to us as these two brothers but who knew their own success... their God given path. Susannah's God given destiny was just as important as that of her sons, even if the boundaries of her world were small.
As we look back, we can see that seasons come and go in life as well as in nature. Each building upon the other... each having a beginning and an end although most were gradual rather than sudden... each having its' own joys and tribulation... together making the journey God has given us as we look forward to that City whose Builder and Maker is the One Who Created Us. However difficult the journey, the destination will all be worth it in the end.
9 comments:
It troubles me when I hear people say that their life has little impact. Your reminder is one that I will share; we all make a difference where we are planted. We don't have to be huge, powerful, or bold in the world. It is enough that we do it in our bit of the world, isn't it??
Thank you for the lovely post. It puts reverance in my soul. We have a grand niece that has run away and has been gone for three days now. She is a beautiful child but we do not know what posessed her to do this. Our minds are strange things and often we seek answers and sometime not from the right people. Thank you so much for your post it is a calming inspiration in a troubled world.
Thank you for such a moving post. You are so true.
What a lovely post-thank you Brenda!
I've just started reading biographies. They were never at the top of my list. Now they are. Great post!! Hugs
Wonderful thoughts.
I just finished a Biography of John Bunyan. I am adding more biographies to my reading list
Ciao Brenda,
reading your Sunday post just reminded me about "Pieve Santo Stefano", which is small town in Tuscany. It's also called "The town of the DIARY"; this is because there's a centre run by volunteers who collect personal diaries from all over Italy; anyone can send the his/her own diary. The volunteers read all the diaries and once in a while the public "the history of Italy" as it come out from very normal people who will never appear in history books or will never get famous awards, yet they are the Italians who write the true history of our countries. Reading those diaries is like reading biographies of very unknown people and they are fantastic!
Ciao from Rome
freddie
PS: I keep you in my prayers!
Your Tea set is as lovely as your post! Weeding and Thinking! Sometimes it is good for the soul! Your article does make one ponder about where we been and where we are going. I think I will keep looking forward to doing some weeding! Come join me for Tea, today for Tea Time Tuesday.
What an inspiring post.
Thanks for entering The Poet's Attitude shadow box drawing. Good Luck!
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