Intimacy

I had an amazing Saturday. Five of us went cycling and one guy and me went up to Tikker Taal and back. It is a scenic little lake around 60 km from Chandigarh – into the mountains. I could talk about the mountains and the cool and fresh air or about the silence. I could talk about the challenge of the ride which is particularly steep and unrelenting to the extent that I wished I had at least one more gear.

 

 

But today I want to start with the camaraderie of guys suffering together. I love the stories, the banter and the discussions about gear and that ultimate workout. And then every so often there is a connection on another level. Two people finding common ground or  somehow mystically feeling some kind of a bond. There is an understanding that brings them together. So we pedalled and discussed sport, work, politics and religion. We stopped for lunch and went to personal convictions, attitudes,  dreams and what life is all about. The fun is in the discovery. What is true for running and cycling is also true for new friends.

And it is a mistake to think that we really know everything about someone after some time. My wife is an excellent example of this fact. She recently started showing a grit and determination on different levels that surprised me and made me realize there is probably so much more that I do not really know or understand about her. And with the discovery comes the realization of how wonderful and unique everyone is. We all know this and it is something of a cliche, but a truth that hits home sometimes and makes me wonder again at a creator who never create two things exactly the same. We are the ones with our factories and molds and boxes. God does not run a factory, he never uses the same mold twice.

We are more like the objects that a potter makes. Hand-made and personally shaped and molded for a particular purpose. And it is my conviction we are made in the first place for the pleasure of the Creator. He loves to hold each one of us in his hand and enjoy us. He loves to talk to us and loves it even more if we respond back to Him. He loves it if we explore our abilities and learn to use them to serve others. So if we should find that we love running or making music or writing computer programs or whatever and become excellent at it and do it with joy, then He is happy. And if we acknowledge and remember Him then He is overjoyed. I guess what I am saying is that the intimacy we love to share with a friend or a spouse is also what God loves to have with us and what we also long to have with Him.

Keep running

Stephan