The Quest Begins

During the summer of 2014, I had the privilege of spending a week away from my chaotic circumstances and go play with, laugh alongside, learn from, and be inspired by my amazing sisters at a sister’s retreat.   We did everything from attend the theater, walk through beautiful gardens, play silly games, and watch chic-flics, to long intimate discussions, attend seminars, and dine at the finest restaurants.  It was an amazing retreat. 

One performance stuck out in my mind as particularly inspiring – life changing even.  It was a local production of the play “The Man of LaMancha”.  I believe I watched this movie as a young teen but wasn’t particularly impressed with a lunatic that wore a washbasin for a hat and charged at windmills.  Needless to say, I hadn’t gotten much out of it.  But this time – Maybe it was the closeness of the action, or the inability to wander off disinterested, or the fact that I’ve matured enough over the years to appreciate so many of the truths found therein – but this time, It was mesmerizing.  I have never been so moved by a man’s integrity (even though he wasn’t in his right mind at the time) and nobility of purpose.  His ability to pursue something of such import, even though he knew it could never be achieved, to pursue it anyway because it was right, and because he wanted his life to matter.  Simply look at the caliber of his quest.

To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ... 

This is my quest, to follow that star ... 
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ... 
To fight for the right, without question or pause ... 
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ... 

And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest, 
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm, 
when I'm laid to my rest ... 
And the world will be better for this: 
That one man, scorned and covered with scars, 
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, 
To reach ... the unreachable star ...

Could there be a more noble pursuit. 

As I pondered these ideas, I felt a strong desire to align my purpose with such nobility, to make a difference in this world, to seek something so far out there that only Christ could make it happen.  And so I sat down and identified what I call the Colossal Quest. It is so ginormous it will take a lifetime’s pursuit, and so (almost) unattainable (because I can do all things through Christ), and so noble a cause that in today’s world it causes one to stand firm and maybe alone. 

Colossal Quest

To Live a Principled and Virtuous Life

To Aspire to Greatness

To Engage in Freedom’s Cause

To fulfill my Life’s Service

To Be a Force for Good

To Prove faithful to the Right

And so the quest begins.