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The other day, my wife Dawn and I did what many fall
tourists in New England do. We took a leisurely drive around Vermont and
watched the chlorophyll drain out of the leaves. The reds, yellows and
oranges in early October are truly something to behold, and we enjoyed
ourselves immensely: talking, laughing and oohing and aahing our way
around a good section of what we call the "Northeast Kingdom."
If
you flattened out all the hills and mountains, Vermont would be a fairly
good-sized state. But since it's hardly flat, it ranks down with the
smallest of the fifty. Nonetheless, there are myriad back roads—roads that
are easy to find, but not always so easy to find your way out of. Now I
have a fairly keen sense of direction, and I almost always knew—at least
roughly—where we were. Regardless, there were a number of times that our
exact location was unknown until we emerged onto a road or scene that was
more familiar. It was fun.
It occurred to me that in life, even
though it's important to a plan as to where we're going and equally
important to have a sense of where we are, if we know exactly where we're
going, and precisely what's going to happen, there's no drama—no
adventure.
In our trek around the highways and bi-ways of northern
Vermont, we were willing to be a little lost because it added to the
wonder of the experience. The MISSION was clear, but the plan was
flexible. In other words, "set your goals in concrete and your plans in
sand."
I fear that too many people—myself included—have our lives
so well scheduled and so tightly controlled, that we forsake some of the
spontaneous things that could add more spice, adventure and enjoyment. As
I look back over my life, many of the things I labeled catastrophes turned
out to be the proverbial blessing in disguise. Many of the things I
initially looked upon as detours and delays added immeasurable quality to
the journey.
I'm reminded of the story of the man who was
discouraged and prayed that life would be easier and that he could win in
every endeavor. One day, he was visited by an angel and his prayers were
answered. Everything he touched turned to gold. No matter what he tried,
it worked. Everything he wanted, he received—with no struggle and no fear
of the end result. But, alas, he found himself miserable. Life was too
predictable—like watching a taped football game to which you already know
the outcome, it lacks excitement.
In a short while, the man prayed
again—this time to be relieved of his wish. A second time he was visited
by the angel, and the man said he would rather go to hell than continue
with this "curse." The angel replied, "My son, hell is where you've been
since we were last together."
We need to welcome the challenges and
unknowns that come our way. They're what make us stronger and build our
character. They are what provide the drama—the comedies and the
tragedies—of our lives. |
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"When you get to the end of all
the light you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown,
faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be
given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to
fly."
—Edward
Teller, American physicist
and author
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