Letter 3 of 19

Good morning 2019,

I greet you in the name of all the lessons I've discovered during your timeline that have connected me with lessons from my childhood.

Today I'd like to reflect on one of those "aha" moments I've experienced. I attended a Christian School for 12 years of my basic education. We came from different denominations but our school had a very charismatic culture incorporated with most activities that we had. Praise and worship was the order of the day. One of my teachers had two signature verses he loved to share: Luke 13:28 on the "gnashing of teeth" and Ephesians 6 on the "full armour of God". He loved them so much that we used to make prediction jokes about what he would share. Yes, I was a bit mischievous back in the day. Did I understand what he meant? No.

It's been a decade since I left high school and I can safely say that my interpretation of a "gnashing of teeth" doesn't relate to anger or weather conditions. The "full armour" is not some old fashioned war statement. These two verses mean so much more. I realised this after participating as a member of a team for the Amazing Race on campus with a "military princess" theme.

In hindsight, I don't think we had a game-plan going into the race. I've always wanted to do it and I just needed to have some fun. What an adventure! One filled with running around campus, the frustration of deciphering clues, 20 sit-ups in less 30 seconds and walking away with the best-dressed team prize. Yay!

During the race I was present and I was just taking every moment in. I felt tired from time to time and opted to "jog" instead of printing and I took stops when I felt out of breath. I only realised just how exhausting the experience was when it was all said and done. While scrolling through my phone, seeing how we were dressed up Ephesians 6 came to me like a long lost friend. There's so much to life on this planet than what meets the naked eye. There's so much to the challenges that we face that goes beyond our initial comprehension.

The race took place late during the year and it got me thinking about some of the hurdles I faced this year. There were times when I sprinted instead of jogging. There were times when I misread "clues" and went in the total opposite direction. There were times when I got the clues right but I hardly stopped to take in the joy and feel deep gratitude for the experiences. There were times, too, when I had my guard down when I shouldn't have had. There were times when I left my "armour" behind.

My biggest take was being aware that there are so many times when I "didn't" in 2019. This does not, however, mean that I "won't ever".

Thank you for this lesson 2019...