Never Too... - by Joel Hempel Projected on an electronic poster in my doctor's office is the following quote by C.S. Lewis. You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream. I suggest the following modification to Lewis' words of challenge and encouragement: We are never too old, too sick, too tired, too broken, too overwhelmed, too lonely, too addicted, too ashamed, too angry, too disappointed, or too whatever to set another goal or dream a new dream. Sharp, painful turns in life can leave any of us reeling and nearly devastated. When - not if - that happens, it takes time to recover. And when I say recover, I don't mean we get to go back to a previous, perhaps more manageable status quo. That is seldom an option. Life often inflicts permanent change. But C.S. Lewis' words of hope are that the changed state brings opportunity. How can we be so certain? Because: We KNOW that for those who love God ALL things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28, emphasis added). That is, we who love God, who God has called to serve his purpose, can be certain that whatever change life throws at us, God will miraculously or mysteriously invest himself in the change so that we and others will be the benevolent recipients of his grace. Will the eventual blessing require trust and adjustment on our part? Absolutely! And it will often require working through the steps of the grieving process1 to let go of what was lost and come to a point where we can embrace the change, then set new goals and dream new dreams. With every change – welcomed and unwelcomed – God is waiting with his goodness. A professor, a pastor, and an engineer walk into a bar. All three trip! Why? 2 Those of us who are privileged to be Christians, even mature, seasoned Christians, can too easily feel defeated by the uninvited changes and painful circumstances that have invaded our lives because the bar of expectation we set for God loving us is ridiculously low. We stumble over our lack of faith. God has made us a promise! Will you trust him? Is 55:10-11 1. Change equals loss. When losing something cherished and dying to what was valued, there are recognized stages of recovery originally identified by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 2. The bar was set too low. |
