There are mindful moments when I find myself pondering both the desire to know and the danger to remember. In a life of compelling routine and amazing surprise, I wonder how and I contemplate when. I long to set aside my prejudices in the name of understanding. I pause to wonder if there’s anything new under the sun.
Yesterday, when driving to my destination, I appeared to make a wrong turn. The app in my car directed me to turn around, but my brain knew another way, so I continued on. As I entered the adjoining parking lot of my intended location, I saw the flashing lights that signaled a crash at the main entrance. As an outcome of my slip-up with directions, I made it to my appointment earlier instead of later. In the course of my perceived error, there was an accidental purpose that resulted in success.
What I do, as well as what I don’t do, can have a powerful impact. The role of good intentions may be worthy, but not always obvious. Plans change, mistakes happen, and inadvertent consequences may bring surprise. In a more stunning example, the significance of missing that flight might be not dying in the plane crash. Impulsively adding some extra cash to my bank account means I will avoid an overdraft for that check I failed to record. Turning right instead of left, or even a simple pause, may alter the outcome all together.
Many of society’s most well-known inventions were simply mistakes made by scientists on alternative quests. Silly putty, potato chips, post-it notes, corn flakes, laser printers, pacemakers, and even the microwave oven began as unintended consequences that evolved from accidental outcomes. In one such example, Sir Alexander Fleming was searching for a “wonder drug” that could cure diseases. However, it was only when Fleming threw away his experiments that he found what he was looking for. He noticed that a contaminated Petri dish he had discarded contained a mold that was dissolving all the bacteria around it. When he grew the mold by itself, he learned that it contained a powerful antibiotic, penicillin.
Unintended choices can have purpose. The seemingly incidental events may be more than we can know. Making more of less comes with appreciation and faith. In Ecclesiastes 3, I read that God “has planted eternity in the human heart.” In my naïve, unguarded state, I just want to know why? I want to rest until I can rise with intention and hope. Occasionally, I want to change how the story ends.
Curiosity may come with a cost, and human wisdom will have limits. Still, I value the pause. I acknowledge the power of faith. There is a sense of worship when what I see is so much more than I can understand. I marvel how the sky gargles its thunder when the storm comes. I stare in awe at the colorful sunset. Perhaps interest attracts meaning. The notion of surprise may merely be some accidental purpose demanding attention.
Today, I will commit to the prospect of eternity and the notion that life often overflows with fortuitous intention. My job is to share. Let us all faithfully pay attention to the possibilities.
Yesterday, when driving to my destination, I appeared to make a wrong turn. The app in my car directed me to turn around, but my brain knew another way, so I continued on. As I entered the adjoining parking lot of my intended location, I saw the flashing lights that signaled a crash at the main entrance. As an outcome of my slip-up with directions, I made it to my appointment earlier instead of later. In the course of my perceived error, there was an accidental purpose that resulted in success.
What I do, as well as what I don’t do, can have a powerful impact. The role of good intentions may be worthy, but not always obvious. Plans change, mistakes happen, and inadvertent consequences may bring surprise. In a more stunning example, the significance of missing that flight might be not dying in the plane crash. Impulsively adding some extra cash to my bank account means I will avoid an overdraft for that check I failed to record. Turning right instead of left, or even a simple pause, may alter the outcome all together.
Many of society’s most well-known inventions were simply mistakes made by scientists on alternative quests. Silly putty, potato chips, post-it notes, corn flakes, laser printers, pacemakers, and even the microwave oven began as unintended consequences that evolved from accidental outcomes. In one such example, Sir Alexander Fleming was searching for a “wonder drug” that could cure diseases. However, it was only when Fleming threw away his experiments that he found what he was looking for. He noticed that a contaminated Petri dish he had discarded contained a mold that was dissolving all the bacteria around it. When he grew the mold by itself, he learned that it contained a powerful antibiotic, penicillin.
Unintended choices can have purpose. The seemingly incidental events may be more than we can know. Making more of less comes with appreciation and faith. In Ecclesiastes 3, I read that God “has planted eternity in the human heart.” In my naïve, unguarded state, I just want to know why? I want to rest until I can rise with intention and hope. Occasionally, I want to change how the story ends.
Curiosity may come with a cost, and human wisdom will have limits. Still, I value the pause. I acknowledge the power of faith. There is a sense of worship when what I see is so much more than I can understand. I marvel how the sky gargles its thunder when the storm comes. I stare in awe at the colorful sunset. Perhaps interest attracts meaning. The notion of surprise may merely be some accidental purpose demanding attention.
Today, I will commit to the prospect of eternity and the notion that life often overflows with fortuitous intention. My job is to share. Let us all faithfully pay attention to the possibilities.
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