EXPLORE AND EXPOSE

THE LETTER

Think for a moment about Lewis and Clark – the duo who explored the territory west of the Missouri River to the west coast in search of a continuous water route for the transportation of commerce in the early 1800s. The route did not exist, but they learned about Native Americans, the flora and fauna of the expanded region, and mapped the topography. Now imagine deciding to explore the unknown of in us or having someone else do so with the intentionality of Lewis and Clark.

It came in the mail – not email -but a handwritten letter, sealed in a white, stamped, and postmarked business envelope. I recognized my sister’s handwriting. This was a rare occurrence. Wanting to savor the moment, the white envelope laid on the living room’s brown ottoman well into the afternoon before I opened it to explore the content. Had I never opened it, I would have never known what was written on the pages… words, positive and encouraging. Had the words been otherwise, they would have still served a purpose- Me being explored and exposed by another. My sister used THE LETTER to share her findings gained through our interactions over the last few years.

To her surprise, her exploration, while encouraging me, exposed something about her rituals and lifestyle, and places of needed improvement. It took her two days to hand write two and a half pages because she allowed interruptions (documented in the letter) to disrupt the task of writing to me. One of the questions she posed about herself, “why had it taken so long to finish the letter?”  a lack of “stick-to-it-ness.” Her words, not mine.

When she started the letter, I imagine she never imagined it would expose anything about herself. As she laid her intentional thoughts on paper about the small role I play in her life, her inner eye was perhaps opened to how interruptions affect her ability to finish a task.

Exploration doesn’t always produce what we are looking for – remember what Lewis and Clark were looking for as they traveled west and returned. Explorers must be prepared to be disappointed and amazed simultaneously. Explorations most often do not go as planned. Knowing and getting what is expected is an excursion. Explorers are prepared for the unexpected.

My sister had spent time exploring me mainly through my blogging over the last few years. She wanted to report what she learned to me in a letter. THE LETTER spurred me to explore what she shared. THE LETTER exposed an area to be explored in herself.

Exploring and exposing or exposing and exploring increases the potential for learning to occur. Where learning happens, enrichment and enlightenment is bound to follow.

Imagine having a conversation with Louis and Clark or York, the Black enslaved man who accompanied them… exploration and exposure on so many levels!

Lamentations 3:40

PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Explore the voices and inward thoughts. Then the outside voices will seem less intimidating.