“Trust The Past To God”

This BLOG is a bit off the main road of the previous 1,000+ Blogs. It’s essentially the “thinking out loud” of a person who has experienced quite a bit of life and is wondering about a few things. I’m just going to start and see if this BLOG leads anywhere. Hmmmmmm, no promises.

As I join the club of those who are “getting older”…which includes everyone who is currently breathing… I can tend to analyze my life and wonder how it would have gone if I had made other decisions or if some things hadn’t happened. In all of this I do have a confidence that the Lord has always had his hand on me and guided my path…. “ in my life, God has truly written straight with crooked lines”. 

Yet as the ‘80’s are coming into view, I do wonder about some things in the course of my life. I have come to see more clearly the importance of having a father (and mother) as a child growing up…. having a mentor, a guide, someone who “has your back”. I can see where I didn’t develop certain gifts and build certain character qualities in my youth. I defaulted to what caught my fancy, especially sports. I loved sports and tried hard to excel in them, but just didn’t have enough of the basic skills to climb very high on that steep pyramid. 

It took a long time for me to develop a love of learning and the perseverance to push through obstacles to accomplish key goals… in most cases I arrived at the party too late. I see that my focus on the sciences in college was not my strength. Regardless, if I had applied myself more on my studies and not my social life, I would have done better and probably been able to achieve my goal of being a doctor like my father… but, I just wasn’t motivated enough to keep my head down. 

As I’ve aged, I do see that my intellectual bent has been more to history and philosophy and writing… to pondering the “big picture”. But with a Chemistry undergraduate degree and Masters in Business, my energies were directed to business. I worked hard to be successful, but marketing “materials science products” never fully captured my heart. Yet again I see how the Lord uses all our gifts and experiences once we’ve given ourselves to him. I eventually left industry and used my Chemistry degree and M.B.A. in leading two non-profit corporations that were dedicated to serving Christ. I got an opportunity to grow in my gifts and desires to study and teach about the Lord and his call and ways. While I regret not being more learned in Theology and Philosophy, God has nevertheless given me certain wisdom as I’ve studied the scriptures and the teachings of the saints and great philosophers. 

Okay Dr. Plato, is this BLOG going to come to a conclusion? Well, it’s hard to cover a lifetime of discoveries and all the secrets of the universe in a one page BLOG; however, I do think I can say one thing with confidence. God loves each of us. None of us has the perfect upbringing and preparation for a life of greatness. Yet, the Lord uses our experiences as he molds us into the person he intends. We do need to entrust ourselves to him, to acknowledge Jesus as the one who can save us from the misery due to our bad choices (i.e. our sin). And we need to allow the Holy Spirit to  change us and empower us. 

So if you, like me,  get distracted and begin playing the “what if” game, know that the Lord has his hand on you & me, and can work all things to the good…even our mistakes. Remember St. Paul’s admonition: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

In the last chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus gives Peter some parting  advice as Peter begins to play the “what if” game. When Peter asks Jesus what about John’s future…. Jesus responds “what is that to you, follow me.” (John 21:22)  

So Dave (and all who read this BLOG), I am making all things new. I am working all things to the good…including every misstep of the past…. so just FOLLOW ME.