Wisdom to Know

The difference between what we can change, and what we cannot change, and therefore can only accept with serenity, can be small but can be also big in its effect on our lives. What is small to one person may be big to another; what may be unsurmoutable odds to one, may be possible to another.

The difficulties in life for Kyle Maynard would have stopped many, but not for someone with parents who have the wisdom to know what their son is capable. Hundreds and thousands have tried in vain to free India from British oppression, yet Ghandi had faith that truth will triumph over all. Half the nation believed it was impossible to change the rooted ways of slavery in the south, yet Lincoln believed in a land prepared by God for all the people, not just the priviliged few.

The wisdom to know what is possible tells us time and again that almost nothing is impossible, if we have the will, the heart, the vision and the determination to make it come true. But first, we must believe in the beauty of the vision of our own dreams. To truly believe, we must be willing to let go of everything else. It is this final step, that stopped the rich young man on his quest when he found Christ. It is easier to let go when we have nothing. It is harder than threading a camel through the eye of a needle when we cannot let go.

It is this freedom to choose according to the strength of our will, which is the most precious gift to humanity from God. Instead of a pre-determined fate, of programmed destiny, we have the freedom to choose between good and evil, between right and wrong, between giving up or digging in, between following the beauty of our distant dreams or wallowing in the comfort of today's greed.

The ancient saying is to thy own self be true, to know thyself. No matter what others may say, the final decision must necessarily be our own because we are ultimately held responsible for it. To escape responsibility is to deny the precious gift of the freedom to choose. Someone once said, freedom is only for those who wish it. When we escape from freedom, as Germans did when they relinguished control to the Nazi party, they accepted the consequences of that decision, to choose not to be free. To know the difference between what we can change, and what we cannot, requires wisdom that is more subtle and profound than what is taught in school, on television. It comes only from contemplation of our lives, in view of the Higher Power.