There is More to You Than it Seems...

"Every second of the search is an encounter with God,” the boy told his heart. “When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I’ve known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I’ve discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible..."

There is a serendipity in having several books going at once. Sometimes they dance in and out of one another, telling a singular story in chorus. As I recently re-read The Hobbit (with Joshua) and The Alchemist (with friends) I found myself up against a compelling, terrifying, exhilarating truth:  There is more to each of us than it seems.

This is what Gandalf says of Bilbo, a most unlikely candidate for adventure. He is, after all, a respectable Hobbit.  Yet, adventure comes, whether he will have it or no.  And, as one impossible situation after another presents itself, a greatness is called out in Bilbo that we could never have foreseen.

The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances.

Santiago is a simple shepherd boy.  But his life is undone by a dream.  A dream that will call him out of the ordinary.  He will embark on a quest to pursue his "personal legend".  It will cost him everything.  It will be far more difficult than he imagines.  It will reveal to him an astonishing truth:  The real treasure is in the quest itself.

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.

I do not always want to pursue my personal legend.  Sometimes I crave a life without adventure.  I would wish impossible situations had never been handed to me.  But they are here, whether I would have them or no.  Every day I pray for enough light for this moment.  For the next step. 

The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.

What about you?  Are you willing to pursue that one dream that is yours alone?  What are the impossible situations that have insinuated themselves into your life?  Are you willing to allow them to call out in you that which lies unseen...untested?  Don't give up.  There is more to you than it seems.

We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.

*All unattributed quotes in the post taken from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  The watercolor at top of the post is from Alan Lee's sumptuously illustrated 1997 edition of The Hobbit.  

Comments

[Jennifer King]

Profound and excellent! Great encouragement to continue pursuing the God-planted dream inside. Thank you!

[Julie B]

Gracias for always helping me to think a little deeper, Shelia!

[Michael Hyatt]

You don’t know how badly I needed this today. Thank YOU!

[Shelia]

Jennifer, you inspire me with your relentless pursuit of life. Thank you for your kind words.

Julie, our virtual friendship is sustenance to us both. :)

Mike, you have given so much to me. Honored to give something back. Thank you for your friendship.

[Cris Ferreira]

This is the first time I visit your blog, what a great first impression.
Excellent text and beautiful message. Well done!