In the Sending Forth portion of our worship service yesterday, I shared a “life philosophy” that has stuck with me years after I first heard it. Usually such statements are rather elaborate, attempting to encompass a broad spectrum of ideas. This one is just three lines, with just seven words:
Pay Attention
Be Astonished
Tell About It
Pay Attention. One of the most important and endearing attributes we can possess is the nudge of curiosity. The immense privilege of being alive on this earth can be cheapened if we are not curious about what is all around us. Routines give structure to life, but routines can also keep us from experiencing what is new today that was not yet born yesterday. When we are awakened into a new day of life, a gift not everyone will receive, we are invited into a fresh allotment of time, rich with possibilities. Our eyes and ears and hearts need to be receptive to what the new day will bring, what new thing God will be doing among us. Live into the new day on tip toes, eager to discern what will be unique about each day of your life.
Be Astonished. Be Astonished, for me, is bigger and grander than Be Surprised or Be Amazed.
Be Astonished has that child-like wonder, like when we first discovered our thumb or our toes or the face of our parent. This had never happened before! A whole new realm of understanding has been opened. As adults, our tired and jaded eyes and hearts have been visited by something that has broken into our lives with a uniqueness that takes our breath away. When we think we can no longer assimilate any new information, any fresh perspectives, then the magnetism of the future has been defeated by the wish to withdraw from life.
Tell About It. This is when we become evangelists. We have Good News to share. Our lives have been shaken up and transformed. We need not set up a booth on a street corner, but we do need to live with a knowing glow that suggests we have learned something new and life-changing in our journey. As others have encouraged us along the way, we have a similar gift to offer. Hope and reassurance are always as welcome as water in dry places. Companionship is precious. Friendship can be contagious.
Three lines. Seven words. As they have been a gift to me, I offer these as a gift to you.
Peace, John Krueger
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