On May 16, 2021. My Husband and I were in NY, NY celebrating our youngest son's graduation from USMAPS and his acceptance into West Point Academy/USMA. It was quite remarkable to see so many young people committed to putting others and their country above themselves. I mean, it was really amazing. The West Point campus was also absolutely beautiful. Being there, reminded me of the many lives that have defended and guarded our nation, despite its glaring flaws that are yet to be fully remedied. It caused me to think about what’s ahead and what role we, both collectively and individually, will have in forging forward.
This world, with all of its vast components, occupants, and systems, is complex. And quite honestly, the longer I live and the more exposure I have to some of the pinnacle elements of this world, I realize how finite I am and actually any one else is in this ocean of life.
What is one to do? Where is one to go? How does one function? How does it all work? Well, obviously, everyone doesn’t do the same thing. Everyone doesn’t go to the same places. Everyone doesn’t function in exactly the same way nor at the same time.
Oddly, despite chaotic happenings, the world works. How it works varies from place to place and from person to person. Who is behind the ingenuity of the way everything works? It can be none other than God Himself, Our Creator. Yes, it is the LORD. (Genesis 1 - 2)
Now, biblically, we know that the world is in a fallen state because of the fall of man in relation to God. But through Jesus, we have redemption and restoration. (John 3:16)
I feel as though I am rambling as I try to capture what I am sure is outside of my realm to capture. However, I persist because I am in awe of God working in all that He has created and who He has made.
While He is eternal and infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, sovereign, and without limits of any kind, we, as mankind, are not. Our mortality haunts us, as we know that our time on this side of heaven is limited to an unknown length of time. And mankind, unlike God, exists within limits or boundaries. We know a little. Individually, we exert minimal power, and collectively, we can only harness just enough power. We physically can only be in one place at one time. We have a spectrum of boundaries. We have limits, which cause us to be dependent on one another to live.
Who determines our boundaries? What factors affect our limitations? Is it possible to go past one’s boundaries, or does one merely function in the sphere of one’s boundaries? Man, I am philosophizing a bit much. How does one go beyond his or her boundaries? Perhaps those who are able to go past a perceived boundary are explorers. If so, well what makes someone an explorer or an adventurer?
All of this contemplation just causes me to be in awe of God. Like, wow! God works through our finiteness, our limitations, our boundaries, our fallenness, and our isms to still meet our needs, causing our codependency to be paramount to how we deliberately, inadvertently, and sometimes reluctantly work together to meet our local, national, and global needs. God is amazing! And while He is working through us right now, He has made it possible through Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit, to save us and restore us fully even to the point of giving us an eternal boundary in His very presence. (Colossians 1:15-20)