A blog must begin somewhere, and there has to be a first moment. This post marks that “somewhere,” and as these words spill out, so does that first moment. Why this blog, and why today?
Simply put, I realized yesterday that I must be a responsible contributor to good in this world, sharing with diligence the ways of God as best I can, especially when those ways relate to how our encounters with the otherness of human diversity may be part of God’s curriculum for drawing us into the vibrant life of flourishing in him.
I have always waited until I could know more or write better or plan my professional future with greater certainty. I have allowed continual self-editing and pursuit of the perfect to keep me in the private locker room rather than sprinting (or even loping awkwardly) around the public track. Maybe you can relate.
But yesterday, through the words flowing from the tip of my own pen as I finished writing a piece requested by someone else for a different purpose, I felt convicted at the yawning stretch of time that has elapsed since I first desired to create a space like this one and the actual doing of it. Years have passed. Diligence in stewarding the experience and influence God has given me, regardless of whether I think they’re quite enough, should not wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow, as it turns out, already has its own plan: the piece I was writing yesterday when this conviction hit me. As I was retelling the story of Moses’ final moments with the Hebrew people, God nudged me to get my head out of the clouds, give up my illusions of limitless time, and finally get going to do something useful in the enterprise of influence that matters to him. Perhaps he can use my reluctant start to nudge you, too.
Should I be surprised to discover in taking courage today that God already has a plan for tomorrow, using resources he marshalled yesterday? No, not if I know him. That’s often exactly how he works.
So today, I take the first step of what I hope will be a long journey of writing in this space. It will not be perfect, but that’s OK.
VIBRANCY 