Seeing the Future.

I think every man gets at a point in his life (at least once) where he realizes that the choices he is making may lead him to either exhilarating happiness or anguish. I think I am at one of these points. However, I think either result is fine by me. Allow me to explain.

Should I continue along in my prayer and discernment of my vocation, there is a high likelihood that I will end up at a point where my future is contingent on someone else's decision rather than my own. It may be a few weeks, or even a few months from now. But no matter what, it is certain that either result would leave me in tears: of joy or grief.

If in joy, well, then that's obviously great. In grief, though, there is good in that, too. I don't think people understand how wonderful sadness can be. There is a different kind of joy in knowing that you've given something your all and it didn't turn out quite the way you expected - because as long as you've done the right thing, you know you will be happy again. And when the moment comes when you've shed all your tears...those are the best days. The days when you have hope again. That is a wonderful feeling.

I will look forward to this future...I can't predict anything but I can see that whatever happens, as long as I remain in Christ there will be joy again.

There was a dream I dreamed, a dream for great hope for the future.

Shadow and Flame.

"You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum. Shadow and flame."

I have entitled this post "Shadow and Flame" because it is about as close to an overall theme as I think I can get. Sometimes when I start these posts I'm not really certain at all what they're going to be about. Hence, the shadow. But there are some strong feelings circling around (most of them now my own) so I shall call that the flame.

First, the shadow. I'll be brief since I've discussed this in detail before...I suppose the best summary of my feelings about where my personal life is going is "I have no idea." It seems as though the more I try to make my world revolve around God, the more strongly the current pushes me to abandon that and revolve around what I will simply and succinctly dub "female drama" (no questions please) OR meaningless and unfounded anxieties. That latter bit is perfectly summarized in last week's post. One long anxiety attack over a conversation with a friend. Things have, as I really knew all along, turned out fine.

Now we are getting to the flame. I suppose I should start by saying that my personality is "shifting" for the fifth time in four years. It seems like every time this happens I go a little insane. Case in point: freaking out because I was worried I wasn't able to stop counseling people and would lose all my friends by either offending them with directive counseling techniques or by making them into clients.

Yes, this happened.

The flame: my dating fast ends this Sunday. What will I do? Whatever. I'm actually pretty serious about that. I will do whatever I will do, and let God be my guide. I'm not worried - not because I earnestly believe I have nothing to worry about, but because I don't want to worry and rationally speaking there is no real use or purpose for worrying. Whatever comes, comes. Whatever goes, goes. That is my earnest conclusion from all the mistakes I've ever made concerning relationships.

Everything is fine, because on the inside I have the joy no one can take from me. Peace.

There was a dream that I dreamed, a dream for light and warmth.