Today

Like inmates in a prison cell, some people live in the past. They spend their days constantly ruminating about things that they did or things that were done to them. Whether pain or pleasure, glory or defeat, their life is defined by the past tense. Some others, like children on Christmas Eve, live in the future. They chase eventual glory or dread impending doom. Their lives are lived in a future that never arrives in quite the same way that it is imagined. But, what of today? We can mourn days gone by or long for the "sweet by and by," but what of the present now and now? There is nothing we can do to change the past and the future is unknown to us. We have this moment. The day before us is a day to which we once looked forward and it will soon be a day that we remember. How will we live today?

Turtles!

A lake teems with life. Plants, fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles depend on the lake. A minnow lives near the shore in the shallows. Because of predators, it rarely ventures into deeper water. In contrast, a catfish remains in the deep. Always lurking, the catfish moves slowly through the depths scavenging for food. Then there is the lowly turtle. This lake resident moves throughout the water world. The turtle can plunge into the depths, float on the surface, and even move from the water altogether. These three creatures illustrate three approaches to dealing with the pain and suffering of life.

Some people are minnows. They deny the deeper truths and realities. These people use entertainment, possessions, accomplishment, or denial to stay near life’s surface. Like minnows, they desperately avoid what may lurk in deeper water. Others people are like catfish; they stay on the bottom. Their lives have become so encumbered by pain that it defines them. Their suffering holds them down. These poor souls will never know what it is to soar.

But, we can be turtles. This creature represents those who will not run from pain nor accept it as the final word. By acknowledging the pain, sharing it with those who will refine it and finally embracing it, they are no longer banished to one extreme. These souls, like a turtle, can now journey the entire lake of life. Further, the character built by accepted suffering builds a hard shell of faith and trust which protects from the predator of fear.

Minnows, catfish and a few turtles - all loved by their creator and all given the power and the opportunity to grow!

Beyond the Pond

Have you ever thought about what happens when a fisherman catches a fish and then releases it back into the pond? The poor fish, who has a really sore mouth, swims back to his mates with an incredible story. “Hey, guys, you’ll never believe this—I was taken up into another world above the water! It was an incredible place unlike anything I have ever seen.” The other fish condescendingly look at him and some roll their eyes. “A world beyond this pond - that’s ridiculous. This pond is all there is! There is nothing beyond what we know here in the depths.” Yet even though the others are skeptical, the little fish knows what happened to him…and nothing can change that truth.

Why?

Life can consist of a string of whats. This is what we do. The familiar question we often ask each other is “What are you going to do today?” So we go from obligation to obligation “whatting.” What will you have for lunch? What will you do this afternoon? What will you do this evening? The question, however, is not what, but why? Why do we do what we do? What is the purpose? A machine is created to do certain tasks. It is programmed to do whatever we design it to do. As individuals, we are more than machines. When we lose sight of why we do what we do, we forfeit part of what it means to live. Why will we do what we do today?