It has been nearly nine months since I left my old job and packed up my belongings. As 2012 draws to a close, I never would have foreseen how this year could progress back in January. But then who can really? I told myself I needed some time off to rest but in the end, I did so much more. I sat in more than a dozen of flights, ran a few races, lived through an unplanned house renovation, helped organize a couple of weddings, wrote and published my first book, completed finally (with the help of willing volunteers:->) a jigsaw puzzle which I have kept for more than a decade and now, making arrangements for yet another relocation for a new job starting in January 2013.
Time off to rest? Perhaps I should have known myself better.
When I first returned home in April, people asked "Are you back for good?" Back then, I answered "Indefinitely". Today, my answer remains the same. If 2012 is anything to go by, I know for certain there is no such thing as permanence while we are still living and breathing on earth. You may say 'that's an awfully pessimistic way of looking at life' but I beg to differ. Life is exactly that. Being certain about one thing does not guarantee its permanence. Take for example, fluffy white clouds against a backdrop of sunny blue skies. When we have weather like this, we are certain that it's a good day that can be spent frolicking at the beach or meandering through a hiking trail or hanging the clothes out to dry. But as the clouds gather and become heavy with moisture, rain will eventually fall and what we may have planned on doing while the sun was still out, no longer becomes an option.
Rather than saying that a good day will not last forever, instead I ask you to recognize that a bad day will eventually fade away, bringing forth renewed hope and faith of better things to come.
Our minds and hearts have an automatic switch that powers off when a bad season crosses into our lives. It has happened to me and I am fairly certain it has happened to you too. I view it as a self-protective mechanism that allows us to grief, to wallow, to be angry. Basically, when the off-switch is on, we look inward within ourselves, disregarding (and quite rightly) anything else that is going on. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that because we have to make ourselves whole before facing the world again. But here's the tricky part. It's up to you to turn the switch back on. And as hard as that may be, you have to get to it eventually. A good friend of mine preaches (verbatim) "we must always love ourselves first then we have more love for others". I agree. The Bible teaches and phrases it in another way "Love thy neighbour as much as you love thyself". Understand this: in both instances, life should never be about me, myself and I. By all means, take all the time you need for yourself when a bad phase clouds over your life but be mindful that you are not made to live a life only for yourself. You are called to co-exist with others and to make a difference because let's be real about this: we are all here temporarily. Our time on earth is finite but each chapter within our lives has an indefinite length of time; good or bad, each season ebbs and fades away.
What you choose to do as you transition from one season to another, is entirely up to you. My prayers are that you will choose to have your life switched on more often than off. 2012 has taught me that blessings often come disguised, not wrapped up neatly in a box with a big red bow; but rather in spurts, with bits and pieces arriving separately, unrecognizable in the first instance. And like a jigsaw, once the pieces are lined up, I have simply been blown away.
To me, this singular thing - the unexpected, undeserved blessings during the indefinite period of time within a season of our lives, is the most amazing thing about God and makes Him that much more real in my life.
May each of you have a wonderful Christmas and a great year in 2013.
