vision

How to Live After the Epiphany

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Last Sunday was the feast of the Epiphany, the typical ending of the Christmas season. In this context, the Epiphany is defined as the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles represented by the Maji (the Three Kings).  I wonder what the Maji felt as they returned to their homeland and got further and further away from the Christ child and the Star of Bethlehem. Did they feel sorrow and sadness, or did the knowledge of the epiphany spur them to greater spiritual heights?

The epiphany
We Live Life Between Epiphanies

Epiphany has a second definition in the secular sense. It means a sudden revelation or insight. For example, you can imagine Thomas Edison saying, “I had an epiphany after inventing the first light bulb,” or Alexander Graham Bell’s excitement when he first heard the voice over the telephone. It is easy to be motivated while you’re having an epiphany or leading up to a new insight. But most of our lives happen in between epiphanies. What you do in between inspirations leads to a meaningful life.

Today’s blog is all about what we do in between epiphanies. How do we discern and discover our next great insight? What are the steps that we follow to reach that next epiphany? How do we remain hopeful and motivated in between the high points?  Most importantly, how do we prepare for the final epiphany that occurs only in our passing? You can read related blogs here and here.

Searching for Your Next Epiphany

The wise men did not go blindly in search of the prophesized King. Instead, they read the charts to find the Star of Bethlehem, their North Star that led to the Epiphany. Similarly, ship captains look for the North Star to orient them North correctly. 

Finding your next North Star is equally vital as you navigate life’s trials. The best way to determine where to go next is by reflecting on your last peak experience.  What about your previous highlight made you fulfilled and on the right track?  How do you build on that insight to raise yourself to a higher level?

Here is an example.  In 2015, I had a clear North Star.  I had to lose weight and get healthy to support my family and team.  I reached my goal of losing 150 pounds, which was both exhilarating and worrisome.  After achieving the goal, I could have had a letdown after the initial high. 

Instead, I decided to build on what I had learned and pay it forward to others.  Also, I understood that although I had improved my body, my soul still needed work.  So, I made a goal to apply the lessons I learned in meeting my health targets to improve my soul.  I established targets for prayer and ways to display kindness to others. 

Once you have determined your North Star, you need to envision it.  Develop a Vision Board, a series of pictures and text describing where you are going next, and keep it where you can see it daily.

Following Your New North Star

Identifying your purpose and next peak is step one.  Now, you need to make a plan to reach it.  Think of all the planning the wise men had to do to get to Bethlehem.  They had to secure Camels, provisions, and equipment for the long journey.  They also had to adjust to the sandstorms that knocked them off their path.

You need to practice similar intentionality, planning, and adjustment.   Establish interim SMART goals to guide you on your journey.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.  Do not wander lost in the desert of irrelevance buffeted by the sands of discontent. Instead, like the wise men, they plan to reach the Epiphany at the appointed time.  And do not get knocked off-track by the occasional sandstorm.

Living the Mountain Top Moment

When you reach a high point, relish it. Live in the moment and learn from it to carry on during the low periods. 

Again, take the example of the Three Kings. They took the time to pay homage to Jesus and presented gifts of honor and thankfulness. They also used their experience to change their lives. The Bible records that they returned to their land by a different path, avoiding Herod. Also, the Epiphany and its memory sustained them on their long journey home. 

It also changed their direction in life.  After the Nativity visit, the three kings lived a virtuous life.  Legend has it that they were instructed and baptized by St. Thomas the Apostle in his travels to the East.

The Magi’s experience after the Epiphany has important lessons for us as we savor a high point and then return to everyday life.  First, celebrate your achievement and take time before moving on to the next thing.  Second, distill the lessons learned from your peak and use them as fuel for the road.  Lastly, when you hit a roadblock to your next destination, recall your Epiphany to provide hope and faith.

The Last Epiphany

As we travel our earthly road, one thing should guide our direction while we live between Epiphanies—the last revelation.  The life we have lived and the kindnesses we have shown will be measured when we see God face to face.  This final road may be long and hard for our bodies, but our souls can strengthen until we reach the everlasting Epiphany.

The Return: Have A Vision As Big As Texas

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We are approaching Thanksgiving.  This year, 19 years since my Dad’s passing, I will be thankful for the lessons that I learned from him. 

I wrote about two of those lessons in previous blogs linked here. Getting the Iron Out Door – Lessons from Big D for Developers, Life’s Game Changers – The Power of Thanksgiving The second blog is about the day of his passing and the miracle of the Thanksgiving cows.  This October for the first time in 19 years, I returned to the Land described in the blog where I thought the last lesson from my Dad occurred.  But another lesson, equally as important was waiting to be discovered this year!

As discussed in the previous blog, my Mom and Dad left Houston for the Land in the late 90’s.   It was out in the middle of nowhere in East Texas.  I never kept the hand-written directions.  So, I did not know how to get to it anymore, since it was before the time of Google maps and I did not have the street address.  Until on a whim while on vacation in Tyler, TX, I found the new street address on-line!  I now had the location and was close enough (still an hour away!) to drive to the Land on the way back home.

The land and the house that my Dad built looked much the same.  I was a bit amazed at how well the metal house has stood the test of time for 20 years.  The only thing missing were the cows.  I walked around a bit and again thought about that amazing, last Thanksgiving when 10 new calves were born.  Getting up to leave, I glimpsed the lake that he dug with an old rusty backhoe. And with that I left for home with what I thought was the last lesson still in my mind’s eye.  Except it was not the last one!

I remember the first time my Dad started building the lake.  He had just got the backhoe and had begun scraping out a ditch.  He took my brother and I out there.  Then pointing to a muddy gouge with a few puddles, he said  proudly, “Look at my lake!”.  My brother and I started laughing.  Dad said, “Why are you laughing?”.  My bother pointed out, “Dad, when you say lake it connotates images of water!  This is not a lake. It is a puddle.”  Dad just shook his head, climbed in his backhoe and said, “You will you see smart alecks”. 

And we saw.  A year or two later there was full-fledged lake.  The next year there were fish in the lake and a dock.  But Dad kept tweaking the lake up to the day he died.  We wondered why he did this, since he proved his point and given us our initial lesson.   Having returned to the land and now with the direct coordinates in hand,  we were about to find out.

The Land and the Texas Lake

I sent my daughter the coordinates just before leaving from home. She fed the coordinates into Google Earth while we were driving back. The resulting aerial picture of the land and the lake floored me. The picture is above. The lake is more than a fair replica of the State of Texas! The lake was dug before satellite imagery or drones were available. My Dad through persistent sweat, determination, and will made a lake in the shape of the state he loved! He also left us several final lessons from the grave that are applicable for everyday life.

1. Plan with the end in mind.  We did not know it until many years later, but my Dad had an ultimate vision for the lake.  With each tweak and every plough, he was turning a mud puddle into a lake in the shape of Texas.  The lesson for all of us is always start something with the end in mind.  A clear vision gives you a clear direction and keeps you on course even when the going gets tough.   

2.  Don’t get discouraged.  My Dad did not get discouraged even when his two oldest sons mocked his first efforts.  There will be trials along way.  Some rain must fall when building a lake.  But drive on through the rain and stick to the plan. 

3.  Strive to the end.  The weeks before my Dad passed away, he was still making tweaks to his lake to make it further resemble Texas.   He was striving for excellence up to end.  This is a lesson for us in our work.  It is important that when we achieve some success not to stop.  For the excellence of today is the mediocrity of tomorrow. Finish the race.  Keep striving to the end to make your goal a reality!

4.  Try and Try again.  I will perhaps never know how Dad shaped the lake into the outline of the Texas!  He did not have satellite imagery to guide him.  But what he did have was a vision, determination, and the willingness to try and try again.  He ploughed and experimented until he got the lines right.  Sometimes a wrong turn threated to turn his Texas lake into one of Oklahoma!  But he shifted his backhoe, back filled the wrong cut and soon he was on the right side of the Red River! 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Land with one last message from Big D, communicated almost 20 years from his passing from this life to the next.  I know he is up there in the heaven smiling down on a little ranch in Slocum, TX and a lake in the shape of Texas that started as little less than a mud puddle.  May we all strive to the fulfill a vision as big as Texas!