"Is it true," a young boy asked his
mother, "that we are made of dust?"
"Yes," she said.
"And is it true that we go back to dust again when we die?" he
continued.
"Yes, dear."
"Well, Mommy, when I looked under my bed I saw someone who was
coming or going, but I don't know which."
I'm afraid to look under MY bed....
There are times that we feel as if we don't know whether we are coming
or going. But this little boy doesn't have to worry about people coming and going
underneath his bed.
But did you know that all things are coming and going in a
different way? Even people are constantly reshaped, remolded and re-created!
Not from dust bunnies, but from life itself. Let me
explain.
The Rocky Mountains in which I live are reshaped every year. Wind,
water and ice erode them away about three inches every 1,000 years. That isn't much, but
they are being re-formed all the time. A 10,000 foot peak will vanish every 40 million years!
In fact, today's Rocky Mountains are the third version of earlier mountains that rose out of
volcanic turbulence and eroded through the passage of time.
We may not see much of a difference in ourselves from day to day, but
we, too, are shaped and reshaped. Everything that happens to us, the good and the bad,
leaves its mark. Actually, we are not even the people we were yesterday!
But unlike mountains, we have a hand in our re-creation. Harsh
experiences can erode and destroy, or we can use them to call forth beautiful inner
qualities. Illness can actually create within us an attitude of compassion for others who
suffer. Loss can help build strong bonds with others who care. Suffering of all kinds can be
used to strengthen our faith.
Even good times can leave us different than they found us. We
can use joy to hone a sense of humor and pleasant memories to cultivate a
heart of gratitude. Everything shapes us. You and I are being re-created every minute of
every day.
We are quite literally in the process of "becoming." The possibilities
are exciting and wonderful. In a short time from now, you will be a different person
than you are today.
The important question is: What will you become? Something
extraordinary can happen when that question is answered seriously. What will you become?
Your very life depends on your answer! 
Steve
Goodier's books & newsletter: http://LifeSupportSystem.com. |
