"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
One of the hardest lessons I have ever had to learn is that I don't need all the encores my heart so fervently desires from God. When I am on that downhill thrill of the roller coaster ride, hands thrown up into the air, face plastered backwards into a perpetual smile, tears of mirth freely flowing, I instinctively yell, "Encore, God! Let's keep doing THIS! I like where I live now! I like this relationship now! I like this job, these people, this town, this church, my kids and grand kids this age. You're doing great, God; don't change a THING! Let's not be messing with perfection or trying to fix something that 'ain't broke.' " But in the past few seasons, I have learned--albeit the education came in spite, or as a result of, my white-knuckled death grip-- a couple of things about encores that have changed my attitude of persistence.
Number one is that we were never meant just to mark time. We are meant to march forward from one degree of glory to the next. When glory has just seized me and filled me to the gills, I cannot imagine how there could be a next degree still out there somewhere. How could I possibly reflect God's glory any better than I could in this good-feeling, mind-expanding, heart-caressing condition? Isn't that what we are supposed to be wanting to do--reflect God's glory the best we can? That's what the scripture says. (This kind of thinking is probably the origin of such familiar exclamations as "Just let me die right now! I have everything I could possibly ever want. I have no need to go any further. I'm ready to go!" )
I somehow keep forgetting that I am dealing with a God whose plans and provisions are not limited by anything like weather or health conditions, age, looks, or talent. His plans and provisions are limitless! Therefore, when I want to freeze the moment and believe that any step I take away from where I am right now would be a step in the wrong direction, I am trying to put limits on an unlimited Benefactor. "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him--but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit" ( 1 Corinthians 2:9). ( Now, I don't think this means that His Spirit has revealed to us all the details, just the fact that what is up ahead is a far sight better than anything that we have seen or experienced so far.) True, the roller coaster will have to slow down and do some climbing, but miraculously, this thrill seeker is learning-- and I hope if you are one of me, that you will learn it too-- that the glory that can be revealed in the slow and laborious journey up can equal and even exceed the one we wanted to can for our continued enjoyment. God has enough new experiences to last my lifetime and more; He certainly does not need to keep pulling the same old rabbit out of the same old hat. Accept change from His hand without fear. Let Him be God.
Number two is that I don't need the encores because I don't have to lose what just happened or where I am right now. I have been given ( at least for today!) the ability to remember. What a lovely word "remember" has become to me! My memories are my greatest possessions. I have grown acutely aware of when I am in the midst of making a good one, and I am becoming, with the God's Holy Spirit, better and better at engineering and constructing memories. I love to watch them pile up and snuggle together into a beautiful myriad of shapes, textures, and colors. They are mine to take out and relive as often as I like. I savor them with delightful relish. In fact, I have come to believe that our memories are really the most important part of the whole event. The "real" event-- when it is happening-- is only for the moment, so that what "really" happened and how we "really" felt don't matter nearly as much as how we remember it happening and how we remember feeling. Perception, in this respect, really is everything. The memories are what become real for the rest of our conscious lives, and how we process the memories is what most greatly affects how we respond to our past and thus how we move ahead into our future.
So God in one sentence says, " No encores! You do not need to stand still! Move forward with me into my visions for you." And in the next sentence, He says, " But I am not taking away the good things that have come to you. They are yours to enjoy forever."
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
