For several years, now, I’ve noticed that when people assume that the world in which they live and work has been developed just for them, they try to discern how matters “should be” — they look for some authority by which to measure good and bad.
Frequently, I’ve watched people spend a considerable amount of energy trying to discover the “right answer” to some perplexing decision they face.
Often, such a person will say, “I’ve been praying about it.” Finally a decision is made and then the person goes about promulgating justifications for their actions and decisions from a variety of historical and contemporary sources.
While drawing on the wisdom and experience of previous generations, we should be able to ground ourselves in our present reality, and then envision the long-term future, aware that each of our actions, in its own way, truly helps shape that which is yet to be.
Those who understand emergence as the dynamic for all that is, a reality that is actually unfolding before our very eyes, experience the thrill of trying new alternatives and of experimenting with diverse options knowing that some will succeed and some will fail. That is no deterrent for responsible action.
In a universe drenched with God’s love, our lives can reflect that glory.
Maynard Moore
Metropolitan UMC
