If there is one things that will forever fascinate me is to watch people demonstrate incredible strength in the face of unimaginably difficult circumstances. Last night I was awe inspired as i watch the great singer/song writer Steven Curtis Chapman take the stage. Under the spotlight he begin to sing of the greatness and yet the mystery of God. This might not be so note worthy if it weren’t for the fact that the Chapmans faith has been tested in the most profound way. Last May in a horrible accident they lost their 5 year old little girl maria in an accident at their home. There’s nothing like a song sung by a survivor. I could see it in his face. There was pain, yes there was pain, but through the pain i could see strength, great strength . It was truly inspiring. He said “There is more mystery to God than there’s ever been”. But he added, “I’ll carry with me those mysteries and this brokenness until I go home to be with God”. WOW!
Dean Karanazes, writing in the April issue of OUTSIDE magazine said about a completely not spiritual activity:
A great run definitely involves suffering. I think any adventure athlete will tell you that there’s honesty in suffering. You feel more alive than when you’re just cruising along. There are moments where you have very lucid thoughts. On day four, running across the Sahara last year, i nearly passed out at mile 23 of a 28-mile stage. I was dehydrated, it was extremely hot, I had exhausted my salty foods, and i was rationing my electrolyte tablets. My ears were ringing. My head was spinning. I was seeing stars. I finally sat down in the sand and just looked around. There was no one there. And I sat there for probably 15 minutes and got in my own head and said: Don’t get ahead of yourself. Be in the moment. Don’t think about the race to you have to do tomorrow. Just take on step. Do your best on the next step. There’s magic in misery. I talked to God out there. (Karnazes, 46, won the 2008 Four desert Challenge, a 621-mile stage race across the Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, and Antarctic deserts)
There are many things in life that shift, trend and change . And when they do we instinctively reach for what is secure and unchanging. There is a taste, a feeling, an experience about deep pain. Steven called it mystery, Dean called it magic but either way there’s only one person who knows the hows and whys… and it’s NOT me. When we can entrust the mysteries of life to our maker My prayer is that when life’s race produces suffering and misery that I’ll reach out for God, the unmoving anchor of my soul, and let him turn my suffering into a song that will strengthen others in their race.
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That was a great read Mark. Thanks.