Day 1

"Change is the only constant."

Of all the seeming contradictions, this has been one of the most transformational for me. I've come to understand that so much of our pain and suffering is self-inflicted, becuase we refuse to believe or embrace the reality that change is constant.

Churches are great places to observe this. By clinging to the illusion that everything can and should stay the same, people (including me) struggle in their resistance, inviting their own suffering to greater or lesser degree.

Those who've been around the longest are often my greatest teachers. As chairs are rearranged, pews replace chairs, new hymnals arrive, worship schedules change...they sit back quietly and observe. When complaints anc conflict arise they are likely to say something like, "Well, I've been around along time, and I've seen it all before. Chances are, I may get to see it all change again." It's as if they've learned that life is like a great drama, and you don't have to travel far to see it. In fact, if you stay in one place, you'll probably get to see the whole show.

There are closer and more personal ways to study the paradox of constant change. I may not want my joints to ache. I may not want my ability to see things in the distance to decrease. But day by day, I am aging, and while I may be able to do things to improve my health or slow the process, I cannot prevent it from happening even in imperceptible ways.

Given the reality of change, it's incredibly depressing to grasp my youth, my able body and my physical condition. However, if I let go of what was and embrace what is, life is full of new meaning and possibility.

I am only beginning to learn the richness found in paradox. No wonder paradox is so prominent in Jesus' speach: the poor are blessed by thier emptiness, the rich cursed by their possesions; those who seek their life will will lose it, but those who lose their life will gain it; to be great, you must become the least.

Feel free to comment on the blog or share any reflections about the reading, questions, scripture or the journey itself..

For those of you without a book, the links to the left will lead you to todays readings. However, these are only available today, as they will be replaced tomorrow.