My Sunday Thought for 071617: Falling Short

"Most people talk about the glass being half empty or full but this has a deeper meaning. To me it means to not just see ourselves as having the glass half empty or full but to consider and accept the trials, achievements, and accomplishments in life. Every stage of life is different but it is up to us to change for better or worse. Leave the rest to God.  Also, I should say failures too, since we have all fallen short - for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.  I think this is what people don't realize or accept.  The fact is that no one is perfect. It is what I struggle with when dealing with myself and others."

-- Shasha

Shasha was a young woman I met while working for an Institutional Review Board.  She always struck me as the quiet person who had an equally quiet cordiality about her.  Her personality, if not shy, was so quiet toward me that I allowed myself to blend her into the background noise of several hundred squeaky wheels in need of grease.  This was my mistake, and definitely my loss.  It has been about six years since I left the I.R.B., three years since I started this blog, and I wish I could remember when I met Shasha, but the date is nowhere to be found in the mess that is the file room of my memory.  I'm not even for certain that this isn't the first time she has commented on a My Sunday Comment; I seem to remember one other time, perhaps on Facebook, I could be wrong, however, as I am one of those who, quite often, falls short on so many things.  

The thought I do have of not knowing her better being my loss, comes from reading the comment I have included as the opener, above.  She also has a quiet depth of thought which comes across just as clearly as if she'd been behind a podium addressing an audience, quietly making conversation, or ministering to others in need.  I fear I have missed many interesting conversations by not having known her better.  If she continues to comment on what I write, perhaps it will not be too late.

The opinion she voices has much merit, in my humble view, "to not just see ourselves as having the glass half empty or full but to consider and accept the trials, achievements, and accomplishments in life."  Even those of us with an overflowing glass can stumble and fall.  Does this diminish the fullness of life?  Not at all!  Only if we fail to embrace the moment for the learning experience which it is, crying over the spilt milk without fully grasping the reality of a full carton still in the fridge.  We simply have to clean up the mess and open our eyes so we do not repeat the mistake more than twice.  I learned in the military that one mistake is a learning experience; to repeat the mistake solidifies the error, and the solution, in one's problem solving matrix; the third time is when we question whether we aren't better suited for simpler tasks; repeating for the forth time is when those above us become concerned as to whether a fifth repetition should be risked.  But, what most people in positions of authority tend to forget and "what people don't realize or accept," is clear for at least two of us, "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."

We constantly find ourselves preaching the laudable benefits of humility while, only minutes later, we tip our glass and once again fall short as we stand in judgment of another.  The volume of our glass is lessened by the spillage, which is painfully obvious to all around us by the transparency of our glass.  To think egotistically deny that others don't see through us simply depletes the fullness of our glass even more.  Taking a risk, with all humility, evidences a sense of character which others might be well to emulate.  

Don't be concerned about falling short as it is all about the journey, and the journey is all about experiences.  I stand here, freely admitting I fall short... constantly!  By falling short I find myself in a constant state of learning and experience.  Not all of us are rocket scientists or nuclear physicists, and not all scientists and physicists understand.  What is it they don't understand, you might ask?  It screams itself as much an exclamation as a question. 

Why!

But then, this is just another bit of confusion, another My Sunday Thought, for this Sunday, July 16.

“The only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing at all,  for sure.”

-- Socrates (470-399 BC), ancient Greek philosopher

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as Chaplain Program Liaison, at a regional medical center.