Go on or die ...

Tuesday, Sept 25, 2012. Have you seen the latest smart phones? The new machines are again better than the old ones, and some very large companies fight each other to gain a higher market share. You cannot stand still - who stops to move is dead. We live in a dynamic environment.

Movement or Rest? …

The world is in a process of change ever since. This change has always been strong and has had high impact to our way to do things. We have been visiting some old castles in the summer, where the kings lived 100 years ago. Today, we all have a higher standard of living than they had then. We live better than kings … would you have believed that 150 years ago, or even 70 years ago?

But the change is driven by dynamic parts of our society. There are those who have the drive to move ahead. There are those who have ideas and want to try them out. Some of the ideas will change our environment. Some will have huge impact, some large, some small, some none. Everyone is invited to take part and contribute. But it also seems clear: not to move is not the option.

We all long for rest. When I say that I need a quiet life, my wife will ask me for how long, one or two hours, before I go on with some new ideas. But everyone has particular strength and capabilities … that is part of the story. Of course, we all need to find a balance for our personal life to rest and to be active.

Explore the Lord …

But I firmly believe that we all should not stay where we are when it comes to knowing the Lord, the eternal God. He is great to explore, and he wants to show himself to us, day by day, hour by hour. We need to start a journey, a pilgrimage, a lifetime adventure, by adressing him and inviting him into our life. And then, it is good to continue this path, to learn, to explore his love and justice and truth.

We should not stay where we are. The path of pilgrimage is a path full of peace and joy. But faith cannot survive if it does not move ahead and continues to grow. A baby cannot stay a baby … if it does not grow and becomes a child and after a while an adult, it will die. Life is always a transition … and it is an image to us: do not stay behind. Do not die.

Change is neither good nor bad, it is just life. But we can use change to improve, to grow, to enhance our understanding. Then, change can be positive. In faith, God is guiding our change, when we live with him. When we search him day by day, we will find many rich treasures, prepared for us. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts