I am listening to a man tell his story. Today he is accomplished in his profession, is married to a beautiful wife (I don’t know what her physical appearance is, but the beauty of her being shines through his words), lives a life in the spirit (that also shines through his words).
This man’s story arc is similar to many successful people. They don’t plan out every detail at 10 years old and then follow the master plan to success. He went to university to study one field, took one class to fulfill a requirement, that class led to a career and a life.
The part that I am meditating on this morning returns to that spirit-filled life.
His dad was converted to an evangelical / fundamentalist version of his religion when he was a small lad. That religion contributed to the break up of the marriage. The man grew up in that faith.
He doesn’t describe the process exactly, but he gradually left that way of life behind in pursuit of a richer, fuller life. Actually the life Paul describes with the fruit of the spirit phrase, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
What I ponder often is why we who have the words do not have the life we talk about?
How much are we like this song performed by The Temptations?
Smiling faces sometimes
Pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces
Of the evil that lurks within (can you dig it?)
Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes
They don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof
Oh, oh, yeah
The man is Hugh Jackman. The podcast interview is with Tim Ferriss.
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