UNTO THE JOURNEY

Unto the journey are the words that at times echo my mind. They are the reminders of how the life of faith isn’t always adorned with the fruit of our expectations.

Lately I’ve been laboring for a variety of reasons with sharing my words in an environment and community where other toilers of thought spend a far amount of time. And the one thing I have quickly discovered is that like all communities it is one overburden by a social and political cycle of preference. Essentially there are those who are the “favorites” and those who are not.

As usual, I’m not one of the favorites. I suppose I should be used to this by now, but something inside of me keeps telling me that somewhere I’ll find a place where I am other than an outsider.

In this case the thing that dogs me is the frustration of seeing how one person’s idea of great writing totally eludes me. I have looked at some of the offerings and frankly had to ask myself how anyone could rave about such simplistic and trite dribble. Yet in this climate it is consider pure gold. You’ll excuse me if I yawn a bit.

For me when my ego takes the kind of beating I’ve experienced in this arena in terms of my writing, I can’t help being vulnerable to that voice of accusation and doubt that often comes following a disappointment. It is then though that God’s spirit reminds me that the call of God is not dependent upon the approval of men.

That doesn’t keep us from being human or seeking some approval from others in terms of wanting that social hug telling us we are doing something right and are good at it. Yet with faith is involved that doesn’t necessarily apply. We may have to trust the Lord all our lives and not know what it is like to stand in the limelight.

I think it is only natural to want someone to see what you do as a calling as special. However that doesn’t mean it will happen. And I do remind myself of this as I try to be faithful at what God told me to do even if others don’t necessarily embrace it.

It is the part of the journey that often gets overlooked to a point when we trust to God. Those are the arid points of steps where we are truly alone. They are the times when we are intended to be clinging to our lord and let that relationship make a blur of this life. However it becomes so easy to simply treat it as a desert totally devoid of blessing.

A lot of it has to do with one’s vision. The eyes of pride often are near sighted. We can only see the immediate and if something has a benefit for the moment.

But our orbs of faith can see much farther if our vision isn’t blurred by distraction. Often they can see all the way to heaven. And with that sight we can see how what is glorified in Heaven and what is important is not the same as the laurels of boasting we clutch for in this life.

And until God grants us perfect sight in his presence then the more we see with the right pair of eyes the more we will see what is truly important. I pray that the Lord will grant each of us the vision needed to walk by faith.