The Wisdom of Children

Erik has come up with another gem, the conversation with Mom went something like this:

Erik walks up to Mom with a booger on his finger, Erik says "I've got a booger." Mom asks "Where did it come from?" Erik says "From my nose." Mom asks "What do they do there?" Erik says "They sing!"

First steps...

So, here's some news for everyone. If you've been following the posts around here, you know that I've been discontented with my current situation. I don't have my dream job. I've been giving serious thought to moving in a direction that I could start doing what I love to do, and earn a living by it. So today, I get my first kick in the pants to help me start moving. I'm being laid off.

I got the news today, I've got my two weeks notice. So I cannot continue with what I have been doing. If you have something that is reasonably comfortable, that makes change harder. It makes stepping out and taking a risk harder. But here I am being forced to make a change.

I've been thinking about this all day. And I'm sure my supervisor thinks I'm crazy. I just got laid off, and the more I think about it, the more excited I get, the more full of hope I get.

I think that God has been stirring something in me for a while, but while I was listening, I wasn't being obedient. So God arranged for me to get a kick in the ass.

So very shortly begins a new adventure...

And for a touch of comedy: Recently, Erik had to go to the bathroom. As he sat there, finding time to think, though about what was going on. He looks up at mom, and asks, "Mom, does poop come from my butt?" Mom responds that yes it does. Erik thinks a bit more, then asks "Does that mean that there is a hole in my butt?"

Two and a half, and there's no way anyone is getting anything past him.

Get ready, it's a doosie

I'm so sorry for not posting for a while. We had a little bit of adventure (classic definition: someone decides something for you and you have to deal with it). Erik decided to take a look at some just boiled rice, and dumped it and the little bit of water left in the pot over himself. Some screams, a trip to the hospital emergency ward, and a number of days of redressing, and we are starting to get over the accident. Erik has a burn on his elbow that has healed up about 90% already, and two more burns on his hip. Those on his hip will take a little longer to heal.

So, now I'm back, with a lot of ideas to hash out with you all. The first one regards religious identification, the second religious duty, the third dreams, the fourth will be any other thought that may still be wandering around this junkyard of a mind.

So, lets get too it. Point number one: religious identification. What is it that identifies us? What is it about us that people see by which they know what we believe? The way we dress? The house we live in? The smile we wear on our face? How well worn our Bible is? How many meetings we attend at church? How many times we say "God Bless you!"? How many times we share the Gospel each day? How many times we invite people to church? What is it that people see that undeniably identifies us as Christians?

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

Ok, I understand, a gross simplification, but isn't that part of the paradox? So our defining mark is whether or not we love each other, ie. other Christians. So, do we? So, is it? Are we doing our utmost for each other? Are we willing to die for each other (wasn't there a verse about that somewhere?)?

So, our defining mark is not so much our love for "the world" (has this ever been definitivly defined?), or for missions, or for the poor, or for sinners, or for _____ (fill in the blank with your favorite spiritually significant target group). Our defining mark is whether or not we love each other, whether or not we care about each other, whether or not we really want the best for each other.

Again, I know it's a gross simplification, for now, maybe we can develop this thought a little, or we can cut it down to nothing.

Ok, on to thought number two: religious duty. What are we expected to do? Because we are Christians we do this because that is what Christians do. Is it going to church? Is it going on missions? Is it going door to door sharing the gospel? Is it standing on a soapbox on a street corner yelling "The end is near!"? Is it reading your Bible regularly? Is it praying before meals? Is it praying before you go to bed? Is it sending in cheques to TV evangelists?

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt. 22:36-40

So, again a gross simplification, but I like paradoxes so here we go. Our duty, to love God and to love our neighbour. So are we doing what is best for God, and what is best for our neighbour? If everything hangs on these two, are we doing it? Are these the two most important things for us? Are these the things that drive us. Our purpose for living, our mission, our mantra, our vision, our ______ (fill in the blank with another big word).

If we really desire to strip away everything else that distracts, to simplify things to the essentials, to "get real"; then why not begin with the most important things? Why not put in the 'big rocks' first then see if something else fits? Are we really loving God, or do we just say it? Are we really loving our neighbours, or do we just say we do.

I know, another gross simplification, but hey, I'm on a roll.

Thirdly, the topic of the day is dreams. I've been wrestling with this one for a while. I've got my dreams, stuff I'd really like to do. Things I love to do, and would love to find a way to be able to do them a lot more. And a number of years ago I would have gladly just up and done them, but now I've got a family. I have kids (amazing I know, not many two year olds are already more mature than their Dad, but mine is!). So I have a responsibility to provide. But shouldn't I be an example to them of dedicating your life to something meaningful? Should I be an example of settling for security, or should I teach them how to risk by example? Won't it be good for them to live through some of my mistakes, only to realize that humans are a very hardy bunch able to withstand copious ammounts of adversity? But wouldn't that be irresponsible? Parents just don't do that kind of thing. They must be good examples (of what, boredom and unfulfilled compromise?).

Not that I will be taking unneccessary risks, but that I still take risks to make my dreams happen. To do the things I need to do, and to pay the price for them. If they are really that important, am I willing to pay for them? Or are our dreams not worth anything at all? Is 'family' really more important (a loaded question I am sure)? Is a career outside of your dreams really all that it is cracked up to be? Why can't dreams come true, and pay the rent, and buy the groceries? Why can't we take our dreams, make an investment in them, and then make them pay out?

Ok, not a simplification. Hopefully just an honest question.

So, now we are left with whatever is left in my brain....

Not much, sorry, give me a couple more days, and feel free to respond and help me find the truth in all of these questions.

I'll finish with this, I've heard it said that there are never any stupid questions. I would be willing to argue that. I've also heard that if you're not getting the right answers, you're not asking the right questions. So I'll just keep asking questions until I finally ask the right one. Bear with my while I sift through all my dumb questions until I find one that really matters.

On Seeking Adventure

Again, as I was parousing some of the blogs I have begun to read, there seems to be a thread winding through. The need for change, for something new, for adventure. We must be careful what we are asking for.

One of my favorite authors is G.K. Chesterton. Now before we begin a long discussion on the merits and pitfalls of Chestertonisms, one thing is for sure and that is that he was a good writer, an adept thinker, and had a way with finding a clear perspective on things. But again, that's only my opinion. One thing that he wrote about was adventure, and seemed to have an interesting definition for adventure. In his research into the romantic literature and what makes a situation adventuresome, he concluded that what makes something an adventure is having a good deal of things decided for you on your behalf, and you have to get along as best as possible with the consequences. I like that definition. We have sanitized our adventures into safe and controlable outings. We go rock climbing -- in a gym with rubberized floors and belay ropes everywhere (of course we do, otherwise the insurance companies would have a hayday!). We go on mountain bike trips, along trails and roads that see just a little less traffic than the 401 at 4:58pm. We go river rafting, but only with a guide at the helm and warm coffee waiting on shore. But we sanitize it so that the consequences are reduced to almost nothing, and in some cases there are no more consequences. What of hiking up a mountain, with the consequence that you might twist your ankle, so that you must sit down, so that you might find that tiny alpine flower nestled between the rocks that you would have never otherwise seen for the grandeur of the view?

Now I know what you're thinking, we ought not to take irresponsible risks. I'm a dad for two kids, who am I to put my life at risk for the selfish reason of fulfilling some egotistical need for adventure. Don't I know I have to be there for the kids? Provide for them? I'm not talking about that, there are reasonable precautions, but what I am afraid of is that we have so sanitized our lives that we have begun to remove life itself. We get things our way a little too much. We have gotten used to being able to control a lot more things in our environment than has been available for most of human history. Two hundred years ago, if you were born on a farm, you were a farmer. If you were born in a bakery, you were a baker. I know that is over simplified, but life dictated a lot for people. With the industrial revolution came an economic revolution that gave people the freedom to decide what they want to be, and the opportunity to the means to acheive it.

But this wasn't supposed to be about history. We were talking about adventure. So, do we find it by roaming the far corners of the world? Or as Chesterton put it, by climbing the fence into the neighbour's yard and waiting for a reaction? Where do we find that thing which is alive?

I think it's a bit of both. Chesterton said that there is far too much life at home for some people, and that they have to soothe themselves with tigers and crocodiles. I'm not so sure. There is life out there too. But they are two kinds of life.

I've worked a lot with missions teams while I was in Estonia, and the thing that every group leader knows (or should know) is that the biggest effect of a missions trip is not on those that were ministered to, but to those that were the ministers. The team got the most out of the trip. I've seen it, I've been a part of it, and I've experienced it. Going someplace new opens us up to discovery, most of the internal kind. We learn new things about ourselves while we learn about our new environment. In my opinion, adventure without some kind of self discovery is boring. The kind of adventure that really is an adventure, is when we discover something new about ourselves. Someone or something decides something for us, we are stuck in some situation, and we have to try to get along as best as possible with the result. We fall through the ice, to learn that we can be rather adept at clambering out. Or to learn that our bodies really don't like cold water and that being a member of a polar bear club is something you should never consider. We travel somewhere on a bus and it breaks down, and we discover that walking 10 miles to the nearest town isn't that bad, it just takes time, and that we actually enjoy walking that far even though your left shoe rubs your baby toe a bit (when was the last time you walked more than 2km in one go?)


OK, I'm starting to ramble pointlessly, but I believe I've made my point, that they key to adventure, to self discovery, is to try new things. Try travelling to India, try walking to the store, try river running in a kayak, try climbing over the fence into the neighbour's yard (if you can lift your leg that high). The greatest adventure awaits, learn.

OK, my first long post, here we go!

So, it's been a bit since I've written anything. I've been busy thinking, and working. For those that don't know, I run the warehouse for a small company. I do all the shipping, receiving, inventory control, some manufacturing, and anything else they can think of telling me to do. It's been very busy, we just launched 4 new products, so there's been getting those prepared, special promo packs to ship, and marketing materials to get in the hands of our sales reps. I've been spending a lot of time at work, and there's times where I don't get to spend enough time with my family. So I got to thinking, which is one of the things I can do while I work.

There's been a lot to think about. There's the topics of some of the blogs I read, they get me thinking. I start thinking about the way my life has developed, the things that have shaped who I am. Then I think about who I am, and what needs to change.

[side note - isn't funny how there's always something that needs to change? It doesn't matter who you talk to, they always say that there's stuff that needs to change]

I think about my dreams, what would be great to be able to do. The pipe dreams, the fun stuff, the things that have meaning, the things that are meaningless.

There's too much to think about. But then, on top of it all, I start analyzing it all, trying to see where different choices will end up. Trying to find out which dreams are wise, and which are not. Trying to see which of these is easy to realize, which are hard, and which are impossible. I've never been much of one to take the easiest route, but I'd much rather do that which is right.

I also find it interesting that I'm not alone in this, it seems that there are many people examining their lives, searching for something more. Trying to find that place or thing that defines them best. We all have this need to feel like we are where we are supposed to be, that sense of belonging. Of being in a place of our own. Be it a home, a job, a vocation, a hobby, a mission, a confession. We all want something of our own, something that is special and unique, at least to us. A way to express ourselves, to take all that we are and put it to use. Each of us is unique, and there is this one place/situation/context to which we are best suited.

For myself, I've found that I can be useful almost anywhere. I've learned a little about alot, I can contribute anywhere. I learn fast. Usually, I can get along with almost anyone. So what does that mean about where I belong? Just about anywhere. There goes the idea that there is a place for me, other than one that I create for myself. So what defines me? Is is my abilities, do I have a special skill? Nope, I'm an average player at every game. No brilliant scientist here, no amazing musician, no gifted artist. Although I enjoy a lot of things, I'll never be the best at anything.

So what is it that defines me? What I look like? I've had facial hair for over 15 years already, I suppose that defines me. But usually I'll shave that off a couple of times a year to remind me why I have one (nasty baby face, I need something to hide behind). So sure, that's who I am, but it's a pretty shallow way of looking at things.

Is who I am defined by my confession? Sure, I'm a Christian. That can be narrowed down to me being an evangelical protestant. But after that, I am hard to peg down in a sense. I know what I believe, but that changes and develops as my understanding fo Scripture changes and develops. There isn't a single denomination that I could say "there's something that I agree with 100%". Not to say that I think they are all wrong, I'm not going to start judging that, it's not my place. But what I see in all the denominations are the many different colours that are expressed in one family. Each provides a place for members of the family to feel comfortable (side note - the topic of whether or not we should feel comfortable is one that could take forever to discuss, but maybe we will start that one soon).

So where does that leave me? There seems to be no cut and clear place for me, other than if I make a place for myself. So that is where I am right now. As far as I can understand, I need to make a place for myself. If there is a place for me to belong, it will be a place of my own making. So that's where I am right now, but the hard part is deciding what it will be.

If anyone has any suggestions, words of wisdom, or just something to say, feel free to leave a comment.