I hope all of you who read this have had a wonderful Christmas and had the opportunity to get away from all of the noise and the hustle to reflect on life and what the year 2008 has brought you. As the final week of the year comes around, it is often a time for reflection and thought.
I’m a big fan of the TV show Heroes. The Dec 15 show, had some very interesting narration at the beginning and the end. Thanks to Tim Stevens for the written quotes.
Opening narration:
“On the sixth day, God created man in his own image. Now it’s up to us to figure it all out. Right… wrong…good…evil. In each of us is the capacity to decide what drives our actions. So what is it that makes some choose selflessness—the need to devote one self to something greater—while others know only self-interest, isolating themselves in a world of their own making? Some seek love even if requieted, while others are driven by fear and betrayal. There are those who see their choices as dark proof of God’s absence, while others follow a path of noble destiny. But in the end, good, evil, right or wrong, what we choose is never what we really need. For that is the ultimate cosmic joke…the real gift that God has left behind.”
Closing narration:
“There is good, and there is evil. Right and wrong. Heroes and villains. And if we are blessed with wisdom, then there are glimpses between the cracks of each where light streams through. We wait in silence for these times, when sense can be made, when meaningless existence comes into focus and our purpose presents itself. And if we have the strength to be honest, then what we find there staring back at us is our own reflection—bearing witness to the duality of life. And each one of us is capable of both the dark and the light, the good and evil. Of either. Of all. And destiny, marching ever in our direction, can be re-routed by the choices we make, by the love we hold on to, and the promises we keep.”
In a world where it is popular to blame other people or other things (economy, spouse, job, etc) for what happens to us, it is refreshing to see a pop TV show which emphasizes the importance of personal choice. Yes, things will happen to us, but ultimately we must choose how we will respond. In each of us is the power to do good or do evil.
As we approach the end of 2008 and the start of a new year, I’m taking some extra time to reflect on the events of the past year and look deep inside and who I am and who I can be and most importantly, who God wants me to be. He will not force it upon me. I must find my own path and choose my own destiny. The good news is that despite whatever maybe in our past, He will never leave us or forsake us. We may not be able to change the past or any bad choices we made, but it is never too late to make a new ending and choose a new path for today.
May you find this special time of year also meaningful in your own spiritual journey.