Beauty, Gratitude, and the Open Heart
One of the most popular posts I've ever written is about how beauty can be found in the depths of our emotions. If that resonated with you as well, then what I'm about to share will likely strike a chord. The article was titled "Beauty, Gratitude and the Open Heart."
The article describes how all of us feel a bit down sometimes, whether it be due to a big change or even a small one happening in our lives. Yet we are still able to find beauty in these moments of sadness because they give us an opportunity to practice gratitude and present-focused thinking before turning toward God's goodness and beautiful creation.
At the time, I had no idea that article would get over 200,000 views, but it did. And now a year later, I'm receiving requests for a follow-up. I want to say that my thoughts on this are evolving in new and exciting ways, but here is a follow up post - just with some additional thoughts.
I wrote the original article when I was going through some big changes of my own with regard to picking up full-time school work after having been in the workforce for several years already. The sudden change in schedule and routine lead to a lot of time alone in the evenings while my wife was still at work. The gloomy mood that would overtake me then is something I feel all of us can relate to.
But I think there may be a new layer to this conversation now, and it has to do with how we are wired as humans. And the reason I say that is because this past year was filled with division and divisiveness, yet at the same time also with a surprising amount of progress made in our culture.
I experienced a great deal of despair these last few months while also seeing so many incredible changes take place. This November I voted in the first presidential election of my life, and as I watched on election night as the results were coming in, I was filled with dread for what was to come. Yet after Donald Trump won, I was simultaneously amazed by how quickly so many of us - who until that point had never been politically active - jumped into action.
There are many reasons why people do not get involved in their communities or seek change in our social structures. But I think that watching the strength and solidarity of our country emerge in such an inspiring way, during such a dark time, may just be the catalyst that gets a lot of us over this hump and makes us want to keep going. In fact, I feel like I've come out the other side with a deeper sense of purpose than ever before.
One thing that was common among all of us who have been feeling despondent over the last several months is that we have been looking at life through a negative lens. But now we are looking directly at what is happening in our country at large - and our communities - and wanting to make it better for everyone. This is something we should all applaud and be truly happy about.
But the real question that comes with all of this is what is our role in making these changes? We are the people who make up our communities, and we are the ones who strive for a more beautiful social environment. Why is it that we assume we have to change anything? We don't.
I think one of the reasons why we have not been acting with so much energy lately is because there was no real reason to at first. But now I understand why I felt so lost and discouraged. It was because I wasn't paying attention to how God has been going about things in ways that were almost counter-intuitive. We have been focusing on how things are not working in our lives - the way they aren't supposed to. We've been focused on how much is wrong and not on what God is actually doing.
In John 6:44, Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all." What this means for us as followers of Christ is that we do not need to change anything about society or social structures to make it better. What we need to focus on instead is letting his Spirit lead us into action so that he can work through us and change things as we let him take control.
I said this in the article when I was writing it: "We need to be willing to look at the world and see it through God's eyes, and he will see things we have not considered on our own. We should let him change our hearts and minds so that we can become more sensitive to what is really happening around us."
This is what happened during the presidential election for me. I didn't vote for either candidate, but I knew that my country needed someone who would bring all of us together instead of divide us further. It was a blessing that Donald Trump won, because this is exactly what he will do.
When I am feeling despondent or down, I try to find a way to turn my thoughts toward gratitude. This is the way God leads me toward hope in difficult situations, and the way he showed me how we can make positive changes both on an individual level as well as on a community level. These were two of the most important lessons I learned this past year, and I wanted to share them with you today.
I have also learned that God does not wait for us to get it together before he begins his work in our lives. He always works in ways that surprise us, but it is our desire to see the bigger picture that makes all of this possible. This is why he gives that nudge now even though we may be not getting it just yet.
In the end, I would make one last point about this. Even though I have learned a lot in these past few weeks, I have also felt completely overwhelmed at times. There are so many issues going on right now that I do not know what to do with my time anymore. But when everything gets to be too much, I turn inward and ask myself what God wants me to use my time for and what action he wants me to take next. If I am confused, it is because I am trying to do everything on my own, without the guidance and support of someone else.
I hope you feel encouraged by all that I have said today. Let me know what you think in the comments or if you want to talk more about this issue, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook .
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Note: All opinions are personal opinions of the author only and have no connection with any group or organization.
Conclusion: The Red Pill or the Blue Pill?
You may have noticed that I have been writing less and less here in the past few months. There are several reasons for this, but what we really need to talk about is the way I want to move forward.
Some of you may know that I've started a podcast, and that has also taken up a lot of my time. But probably my biggest reason for not being so active here is that I am trying to go out into the world more now, to engage with others who don't know who I am or where I come from.