Think About Such Things

Sometimes I forget how important beauty is. I'm not talking about being physically beautiful, although that could be included, I guess. I'm talking about the beauty that is in creation, in nature, in a good moment with your kids, an intimate time with your spouse, the beauty in friendships and laughter and good food. It's the beauty that quiets your mind, warms your heart and gives you hope.

And I've forgotten how much God loves beauty, how he lives in it and desires it for us.

For so long now it seems my life has been about problems - my problems, the kids' problems, my friends' problems, the church's problems. There's always some problem and a question about how to solve it, what to say, what to do about it, how to handle it. There is prayer and trying to seek God's will in handling the problem.

There will always be problems. And there will always be beauty.

It seems you can focus on only one at a time. If you are focusing on the beauty in life, focusing on truth and goodness and rightness, then the problems become little bumps in the road along the way. If you are focusing on the problems, the beauty seems blurred as you rush past it with the singular goal of solving the problem.

I'm tired, so tired of solving problems. I can't do it anyway. I can't fix anything except maybe dinner. So really, living life for the purpose of solving problems, though sometimes necessary, seems fruitless in the end. But living a life seeking beauty - in people, in relationships, in all of life, well, it just seems that eventually you'll find it.

Paul writes: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phil 4:8.

I think it's time to switch my focus.

Changing again

It feels like everything is changing again, or it's about to. The kids will be returning to school in a couple of weeks, I'm trying to get a job subbing in the school system, things at church are changing with some people going, some new people coming. I'm getting older, and I can feel things in my body are changing. The weather will be changing soon. Our small group is looking at possibly some big changes coming, so friendships are changing, too.

Amidst all the change, I am learning a longer view of life. Things do change. Life is all about change. All things do have a season. Some are better and more enjoyable, and some take a lot of hard work and endurance. But there are good things about every season and bad things about every season. If you don't like the season you are in, just wait. It will change after a while.

But change is hard. I don't like it. It gives me a bit of a panicky feeling; like I want to hold on to something - some part of the past or present that I fear will be gone forever. I want to move ahead and grow and learn and discover, I really do. But the change, saying goodbye to people, routines, familiar faces and patterns, it's just hard.

Change is coming. There's nothing I can do to stop it, or slow it, or even in some ways, control it. I guess I just need to take a little bit to say goodbye to what is leaving before I'm ready to say a joyful hello to what is coming.

This is that goodbye.