Thunder and Lightning - Oh Yeah!

As a small child I would never have guessed that one day I would enthusiastically welcome the chaos of a powerful thunderstorm.  The prairies offered regular summer thunderstorms that shook the foundations of our house.  Bolts of lightning flashed through the windows and I often imagined being struck by one through the panes of glass.  But alas, I have moved away from the prairies and thunderstorms are now a rare event.

One of my earliest memories is of  being put to bed one afternoon in an upstairs spare room.  Although my memory of this particular room is unclear, I remember it being sparse, big and scary.  My impression was that I had done something to deserve being there, but I'm not sure.  Thunder rumbled intermittently outside the walls of the bedroom.  My mother came in and told me (in her native Dutch tongue) that God was 'bose' - angry.  I wondered if his anger was directed at me.

As young children, my sister and I were often awakened at night by great peals of thunder as they enveloped the house, reverberating beneath it.  The obscure clothes cabinet became blindingly present in unpredictable flashes, as walls vibrated with every new round that made us crawl deeper under the covers.  If the interval between lightning strikes and thunder was almost non-existant, Mom and Dad would come to sit with us or get us up in anticipation of a strike which thankfully, never occurred.

A little girl's wide-eyed fear eventually grew into wide-eyed awe.

Today I watch as a rare storm rages outside my window.  I am awe-struck by the intensity of lightning fingers as they streak a darkening sky and resounding cracks snapping angrily as if offended at not being first.  I turn off my music to catch more distant rumblings.  An expectant thrill moves through my body as I stop to pay attention.  I am not disappointed.  How I love a good, rousing thunderstorm!

Three Things, (Part 3)

Inspiration by itself does not produce results.  Nor does the combination of inspiration and insight, although one might argue that those two in combination can possibly improve someone's character.  But as we pursue excellence in our dreams and passions, a third element is necessary. To be diligent is to be focused and intentional.  Diligence requires self discipline, for when it comes to being successful at our work or play, who else can we discipline (unless parenting is our focus, but that's a subject in it's own right). 

Diligence is the steadfast application of ourselves to the task at hand.  Basically, it's good old-fashioned hard work.  In a culture where instant gratification is the norm, we are often left with a deflated enthusiasm for the time required to produce excellent results.  The drive to be diligent - our energy - is largely fueled by inspiration, whereas our method is produced by insight.

Great leaders who were met at every turn by opposition or desolation, yet refused to give up, were somehow inspired to keep going.  Think of William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, and Eva Peron.  Their influential actions changed the world, bringing dignity to an oppressed and enslaved humanity.

Mother Theresa, one of the greatest role models of diligence in our time struggled deeply with depression and feelings of Divine abandonment, yet continued her work with relentless focus, courage and energy.  In times of doubt and loneliness, sheer determination drove her forward - determination to be true to God's calling in her life.  Perhaps it was her vision to accomplish one small deed at a time, rather than great, sweeping successes that gave her the ability to move one foot before the other, over and over.  This kind of diligence is difficult to understand; there is no instant gratification in it - yet its results generate a new cycle of inspiration, insight and diligence. 


“I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.”
― Mother Teresa