Many of my friends have been on vacations and returned with beautiful pictures of their adventures. The above, taken by Lessie Rivon, friend of Kimberly Barnes, is a scene from her trip to the Bahamas. Enjoy!
In the late 80s, a film featured a boy who always got teased at school and was constantly left out and used because of small stature. He decided, then, he wanted to be big. He made a wish on a machine at a Fair and, the next morning, was an adult. Although at first it was difficult to navigate - after all his best friend still looked and acted 13, he found his niche at toy company, testing toys' effectiveness by playing with them. His co-workers could not understand how he was coming up with new ideas that worked or how he was advancing so quickly, they just knew he was different in his thinking, actions and approach to making the company successful.
Sometimes we come into a specific place and realize we see it all differently. The solutions are deviant from the norm, not exactly a crowd pleaser, but can change the way the world considers things. Like a remote control for a tv, a sand paper strip on the side of a matchbox or a rubber ring for a key. In these situations we are outliers, persons in the group who may stand alone or in a small cluster away from the standard.
Admittedly, it may be hard to realize we are the one who sees outside the group; it can be a lonely position. But it is necessary that each group to have thinkers, doers and movers, even for a short time, to shed light on the obvious. Caleb, in Numbers 13, was one of the 12 sent over the mountain to scope out Canaan for Moses. While the other 11 said they should turn back, Caleb saw a not so popular view of the situation, saying, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" (verse 30; NRSV). He saw, as God did, the vision necessary to save the entire nation, and was unafraid to stand boldly on this perspective.
Perhaps we have been pondering an idea that may not make sense to others, but refuses to go away. It may be time to explore it, meditate on it and embrace it. After our brief hesitation, we may find that there is peace in that space when we have made the decision to follow the voice. And, the road that seems to be less traveled - the deviation - will open up with added blessings as confirmation for the making the right choice.
Admittedly, it may be hard to realize we are the one who sees outside the group; it can be a lonely position. But it is necessary that each group to have thinkers, doers and movers, even for a short time, to shed light on the obvious. Caleb, in Numbers 13, was one of the 12 sent over the mountain to scope out Canaan for Moses. While the other 11 said they should turn back, Caleb saw a not so popular view of the situation, saying, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" (verse 30; NRSV). He saw, as God did, the vision necessary to save the entire nation, and was unafraid to stand boldly on this perspective.
Perhaps we have been pondering an idea that may not make sense to others, but refuses to go away. It may be time to explore it, meditate on it and embrace it. After our brief hesitation, we may find that there is peace in that space when we have made the decision to follow the voice. And, the road that seems to be less traveled - the deviation - will open up with added blessings as confirmation for the making the right choice.
Let us consider asking ourselves what sight we have been given at our jobs, in our home or in our daily lives. Let us decide today to cling to that vision and be ready for wherever it takes us.
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