Today as I finished my book review for “The Prophetic Imagination,” I was able to share some of my insights with my son, Thomas, who happens to relate deeply to the idea of the ‘prophetic.’ To be honest, this was not an easy read for me — but as I read back through all my highlighted notes in the book I noticed a pattern. A pattern of ideas I was drawn to as I read. You see, the ‘prophetic’ always seems to evoke ideas about what is to come. A prophet is someone who has particular insight or grand imagination for the future, right? But what this book points out, and what I made many notes of, was the idea that a prophet has just as much insight and imagination for what’s going on right now. Today. This is a tough idea for me to wrap my mind around, but I realize now that it’s just as important to share in the sorrow, anger and dissatisfaction of the current situation as it is to share in the hopeful vision of someone’s future.
This idea was tough for me not because I can’t believe it, but because it forces me to consider my own current situation and what I need to work on. I love dreaming about the future, but facing problems in the present is not quite as fun. And one truth I’ve recently had to face is the fact that for the good to be born in us, usually something bad has to die. It is always much easier to just crowd more good in the midst of this crazy milieu I call my life, but crowding in the new without getting rid of something old rarely works. The problem is simply that it’s never comfortable to be the one encouraging the ‘death’ of something.
Can any of you relate to this? What do you need to get rid of in your life to make room for something beautiful?
