Clarity is often associated with some profound realization of personal truth.
But it’s not always an enjoyable experience.
One Saturday morning as I was savoring the pleasure of sleeping in, my wife came and plopped down beside me.
She mentioned she wasn’t feeling well and started to describe classic heart attack symptoms.
I rushed her to the hospital and as they quickly ushered her back into the ER, I had a moment of clarity.
I suddenly realized that the good life I’d been relishing just a half hour ago might be taking a very serious and permanent turn.
All the little worries about finances and work faded into irrelevance.
Nothing mattered more, at that moment, than my wife’s wellbeing.
Why hadn’t these things been so clear to me before?
Was I only capable of appreciating what I had been blessed with when it was in danger of being taken away?
This is what I mean when I say that not all clarity is a joyful discovery.
Thankfully, after 3 days of hospitalization and tests, she was released with no lasting harm.
Scary as it was, this experience brought some valuable lessons.
The things we worry about aren’t what brings us clarity.
It’s those life-changing moments that hit us seemingly from out of nowhere.
Our biggest challenge isn’t found in avoiding those moments.
It’s found in living our lives and loving those around us in such a way that they are never taken for granted.
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