Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Flowing With the Changes of Life


Gauging the flow of the changes in life,
To cater for and to respond and to grow,
Is every bit the role of obedience,
So the blessings of God’s truth we’d know.
***
Life has a flow about it. It ebbs and flows, and there are plenty of seasons we will simply not predict. Wisdom is both humility and humiliation – acceptance in the mode of reason; that which is paradoxically a mystery.
What this year was about (good or challenging) won’t be what next year is about. For some, the year has been pure hard work, a misery, a season to escape from. For others, the year was the fulfilment of a wish or desire. For others, again, the year was profound in its insignificance. Most years are.
A key to life is discerning the changes in flow; to come to a quick acceptance by catering for the changes, responding the best we can, and growing. Not that we will enjoy all this growth – most growth we may actually despise.
Yet, growth is all about adherence to God’s truth. We grow (better) when we can embrace the truth.
For Better, For Worse...
Life can be seen as a marriage – we are wedded to life whilst we live. But it’s a marriage with a difference: divorce is death. There may be few voluntary divorces.
As a married couple do, there is the need for us to negotiate the seasons of life. When we take pleasure in our lives, when they hold a great interest for us (and why shouldn’t they?), we want to derive the most out of them.
For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health: this statement caters as a job description of the hardiest of marriage partners.
When we are wedded to life – and all of us irrevocably are – we understand that reducing the ebb and flow of pain is not so much the goal as adjusting to the flow of change is. Keeping some sort of healthy equilibrium is about balance and it does more for our hopes than simply trying to reduce pain.
***
Flowing with the changes of life is a veritable wisdom. It’s about balance and perspective. What we cannot control we endure. When we find joy we enjoy the experience. We accept what comes, in a philosophy of life that commends us to hold all of life lightly.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.

3 comments:

  1. I think in this modern age, with all its 'pulls', keeping the healthy equilibrium and truthful balance is very hard for a lot of people - the ebbs can all too often drag people under. Your example of marriage principles is excellent, but there are such large numbers of people living alone - even within a marriage and/or family. I think fighting loneliness is a major/significant ministry of the Church in this age.

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  2. Loneliness and connection... yes, a very good reminder. Thank you, Br G-M.

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  3. Br G-M - your comments compelled me to write this... http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/reconciling-heartrending-loneliness.html won't be definitive, but I agree it is such a perennial issue.

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