Grace for the Journey

 

Each morning I pass this reclining Buddha as I round one of the first corners on my walk. The image is of the Buddha during his last illness, preparing to leave this world behind. He seems to float just above the ground, especially in the dim light of the rising sun.

It is a reminder to me each day that life runs its course for us all. The famous and the ordinary. The rich and the poor. The happy and the sad. As a pastor across these decades, I have learned that every life has its share of heartache, regardless of outward appearances. Each life knows disappointment. I pray that each life knows some joy as well.

As I think about my own life, and the course I have run and am running, I am fortunate to say that my life has known more than my fair share of joy. Oh, I have seen the other side of life for sure. I have lost those I love in various ways. I have seen my life roll by without accomplishing a few of my dreams. But I join Douglas Adams in saying, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” And that, I have decided, is enough for me.

I suppose I always thought that by the time my hair turned white and my inbox was filled each day with advertisements for old people products and services, I would have all the answers to my questions and feel confident in a life full of success. Instead, I understand the words of Robert Frost when he wrote, “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” But I would add this: life goes on within the circle of God’s love where we, in both the best of life and the worst of life, find grace for the journey.

Peace.