Mystic Lessons: Meaning in Mystery

In the same manner, this is how I have tried to “Find meaning in mystery” – the next lesson of the mystics. I always look to my inner sensitivities to try to understand the “mysteries” in life. By definition, a mystery is something profound, not understood, or difficult to understand. This sounds like a whole lot of life to me. That is why this one is one of the tougher ones for me. I’m not sure I really know how to address it.
As an individual I always have wrestled with what I did not understand. My favorite question as a boy (much to my father’s friends’ chagrin) was, “Why?” I asked this question about everything and in all reality still ask it nearly every day of my life. I question the smallest things such as “why does that bolt go there?” But, I also am perplexed by larger questions such as “How can a loving God permit the molestation of an infant?” These are mysteries to me.
Somewhere in the middle are the mysteries of what the love of a wife or father means; who or what inputs the essence of soul into a child; how do we define beauty, and why do we love magnificence?
In these mysteries I find meaning every day. I may not be able to answer the questions or define their meanings, but I do relish being in the arms of my wife. I love my children fanatically. I notice the sunrise, and I pause with an intake of breath when I view a sky spangled with stars.
So how do I find meaning in mystery? I find the meaning when I stop trying to understand. I find meaning when I accept it for what it is whether I understand or not, and just revel in it. I guess that’s part of the mystery!

WONDER!

When was the last time you paused in wonder? I've been a lot of cool places in my life. I've stood in a fire tower looking over a vast pine forest. I have crossed rushing rivers. I have been inches away from creatures in creation before they knew I was there. I have crawled on my stomach into caves with only 18 inches of space in which to move. I have laid on my back staring at a country sky, black as velvet except for the meteors blazing across the heavens. I have stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon and peered into its depths. I have stood atop mountains in Alaska, stood in the middle of glaciers, hiked mountain trails, and even looked down on the world from 42,000 feet.

I have ridden in the back of a fighter jet, descended into the hold of a nuclear submarine, ridden in jet boats, harbor cruisers, gondolas, canoes, airplanes. I have heard the applause of thousands of screaming patriotic football fans, been on the Discovery channel in front of millions of viewers, shook hands with generals and statesmen, and walked the halls of the most powerful military squadrons, naval bases, and governments of the world.

I have seen the marks of history left in the ruins of old coal mining villages in West Virginia, in the museums of Washington D.C., and in the ruins of castles in Okinawa. I have seen the monuments men have built in the great cities of the U.S.A. I've seen the glitz and glamor of lights in Las Vegas.

I have watched the gift of life be given as my children were born. I have seen the incredible love of my wife and children, the dedicated loyalty of my family and friends, and the resolute focus of my comrades in arms. I have been blessed with rich relationships with my friends, my teachers, my siblings, my co-workers, and fellow students.

I could go on, but as you can readily see, I have been given great cause for wonder. I wouldn't trade the path I have walked for all the money in the world. But, I don't plan to stop walking and rest in the memories of days already spent. Rather I plan to keep on walking in pursuit of new memories, new joys, and new moments of wonder every day. Whether it be only a pause to drink in the fresh breeze of an imminent rain, or a vacation to visit some new wonder, I want to live every moment of life to the fullest. But that is not the end of it.

No matter how magnificent the wonders we view on this planet in our brief span of living, it does not compare to the magnificence of love, mercy, and grace to be found every day when one gazes into the eyes of Christ. There is such power in that gaze. It causes me to tremble and to stand in awe of Him. It is this sense of wonder that never grows old and can be a perpetual experience as much a part of living as breathing. It is this sense of wonder that truly enriches all other moments of living. It is this sense of wonder we must never lose.

How's your wonder?