Of Lightning Flashes and Decisions
Listening Well
Last week we probed Beginnings and Endings: The Message of Metamorphyx. That post included some of life’s most vexing questions . . . like, “Do we each (individually!) have a unique life purpose or calling?” And if so, “How do we discover it?” Central to that question is the wisdom of Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard who reminds us that “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.”
This week we move beyond the reflection of Kierkegaard and our “rearview mirror'“ of life. Living life to the fullest demands a personal mandate to become a life learner. That’s nothing short of wholeheartedly embracing the wild ups and downs of life experience . . . and astutely discerning life change alternatives. When you read Learning to be a Life Learner, don’t miss that the apostle Paul had to make this very choice himself after being hurled to the ground and blinded by God’s flash of lightning. Paul could have easily declared, “Wow! That was a close call,” and continued with his penchant to hunt down new Christians in Syria. But instead, he tuned-in to the mysterious voice coming through the clouds (see Acts 9:4)—and interpreted it for what it was—a command to a new pathway in life.
Never forget that we can always be something that we’re divinely destined to be! The priest in Learning to be a Life Learner painted me as a hopeless loser destined for hell. Through God’s grace and favor however, I spied another pathway and dismissed Father Ulrich’s dismal ultimatum. That’s why the gospel of Jesus will forever be “good news!”
Though it may sound strange, I continue to re-discover the truths in Metamorphyx through the same mindset that Dane Ortlund declares in his new book, Deeper. Ortlund says Deeper, “is written to me as much as by me.” Ditto for Metamorphyx! That means I’m still on the life learning freeway of life—mistake prone and needing God’s grace and favor—just like any of my readers until God calls me home.
Blessings on your pathway of life.
