There are 23 verbs of being in the English language - 23 ways to remind us that we are eternal beings and that only our physical bodies are confined to time and space - and yet we gloss over them without a thought:
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks, and you?"
Is "fine" the only answer to that question? What if you merely - or profoundly - said, "I am," and left it at that? Would it jolt me out of my focus on the finite and remind me once again that you are eternal - that you will outlive not only your present circumstances but the Earth itself?
I am not the Great I AM, but I am. I am present - not just in body, but in mind and spirit as well. And for this brief time your path, which takes you one direction, and my path, which takes me another, have converged. The "I am" and the "You are" have become "We are." It is a holy moment. Do you see the significance?
C.S. Lewis once said, "You have never met a mere mortal." I think I am trying to say the same thing, only my English is not as eloquent as his:
"I am..." with all of my strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrows, and "You are..." with your gifts and skills, likes and dislikes, have become "We are" - a unique combination of soul touching soul. There will never be this combination again throughout all of history, which is precisely why we need each other. I need what you are. You need what I am. Every encounter with another human being is an eternal encounter.
Perhaps it is time we recognised it as such.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks, and you?"
Is "fine" the only answer to that question? What if you merely - or profoundly - said, "I am," and left it at that? Would it jolt me out of my focus on the finite and remind me once again that you are eternal - that you will outlive not only your present circumstances but the Earth itself?
I am not the Great I AM, but I am. I am present - not just in body, but in mind and spirit as well. And for this brief time your path, which takes you one direction, and my path, which takes me another, have converged. The "I am" and the "You are" have become "We are." It is a holy moment. Do you see the significance?
C.S. Lewis once said, "You have never met a mere mortal." I think I am trying to say the same thing, only my English is not as eloquent as his:
"I am..." with all of my strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrows, and "You are..." with your gifts and skills, likes and dislikes, have become "We are" - a unique combination of soul touching soul. There will never be this combination again throughout all of history, which is precisely why we need each other. I need what you are. You need what I am. Every encounter with another human being is an eternal encounter.
Perhaps it is time we recognised it as such.
2 comments:
Amen to THAT! This is precisouly why I get frustrated over "busy-ness." People matter more. Always.
If I ever have the privilege of speaking anywhere, I'm going to quote you.
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