聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The lives of the lion and the gazelle do not sound like ordinary times. The life of the Christian is never just ordinary either.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Jennifer Anniston shares this quote: 鈥淚 love that feeling of being in love, the effect of having butterflies when you wake up in the morning. That is special.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In Louis Armstrong鈥檚 song What a Wonderful World we hear:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 see trees of green,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淩ed roses too.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 see them bloom,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淔or me and you.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd I think to myself,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat a wonderful world鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he colours of the rainbow,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪o pretty in the sky.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎re also on the faces,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淥f people going by,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 see friends shaking hands.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪aying, "How do you do?"
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hey're really saying,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 "I love you鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淵es, I think to myself,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat a wonderful world.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 God tells us through Jeremiah I, 鈥淏efore I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you prophet to the nations.鈥� That should give us butterflies if we think about it. Later we hear: 鈥淭ell the people what I command you鈥� (Exodus 7:2 鈥� He tells us elsewhere as well).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So God has chosen us and commanded us to speak in His name.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淥h God, from my youth You have taught me,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds鈥� (Psalm 71:17).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In Jennifer Lopez鈥檚 Let's Get Loud lyrics, we hear an urgency about living our lives and fulfilling them:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚f you wanna live your life
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟ive it all the way and don't you waste it鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淒ance don't ever stop, whatever rhythm
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淓very minute, every day.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 (Then in the chorus]
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟et's get loud, let's get loud
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎in't nobody gotta tell you
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat you gotta do.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Armstrong would say, 鈥淥h yeah.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Well, maybe we can do without Lopez鈥檚 gyrations and the loudness, but the challenge is there:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚f you wanna live your life
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟ive it all the way and don't you waste it鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥�(It) Can be so very sweet you gotta taste it
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淵ou gotta do it鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淵ou gotta mean what you say.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Looking back over 35 years of my teaching career I sometimes realized what I was doing, and it was awesome. Teaching poetry, Wordsworth鈥檚 philosophy, intellectuals like Eliot and Thomas鈥� Then there was Thornton Wilder who made sense of it all, our ordinary everyday lives in Our Town.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The inspiration of meeting over 2,000 Grade 12 students in my career has got to be a plus. Just like with the teachers, you get the good, the bad and the fantastic.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I am reminded of a scene in John 6:22 where Jesus goes for a walk on the Sea of Galilee. It seems almost out of character that Jesus steps out of natural time 鈥� in a sense. I sometimes imagine that He was looking for us out there; thinking of us.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 God is love. Love is patient; love is kind; love never fades. Faith and hope and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.聽
