Burley was one of my heroes! I had never met anyone who enjoyed being wrong more than Burley! He found joy in his ignorance by allowing the universe to surprise him! He lived in a world of facts and figures that explained many things, at least tentatively, but much more remained a mystery. But, as he always said, “There is a lot more to life than what I think I know. I love it when the universe kicks me in the backside and shows me that I am wrong. I learn more from those moments than I do from being right!”
Burley and I had long talks about science and faith. But he had little patience with blind believers who just assumed that what they believed was true. His faith was of the “for now” variety. Everything he believed was “for now.” He cradled truth with an open mind, much like he would cradle a nestling in his cupped hand. I can hear him say, “Hell, I am not smart enough to be that convinced about anything!” He was passionately curious about life and respected it and himself, too much to become smug about what he believed. He was delighted when the universe straightened him out.
As I think about him, he was more than a hero. He was a superhero! And his superpowers were a deep joy in all things coupled with the amazing gift of humility. He had a deep, honest, and unrelenting humility about himself and his life. He did not expect, or demand more than life offered. Burley was content with his strengths and weaknesses. The former he tried to develop, and the latter he learned to live with as best he could.
He ignored his preconceptions and resented anything that clouded his view of life. He viewed his biases and firmly held expectations as signs of mental myopia and wanted an unobstructed view of life to the horizon. He would either find a different perspective or consider the distortions before he spent much time studying something. To him, assumptions and preconceptions were sneaky little devils that would keep him ignorant of much of the wonder and glory of life. He ripped them out by the roots when he found them hiding among the flowers in his thoughts.
Burley celebrated his life every day. Sometimes life exceeded his expectations, and he found joy. Sometimes it fell short of his hopes, and he adjusted his expectations. Burley took great joy in the growth that the adjusting produced. In all things, Burley knew joy because he knew himself, very, very well. That great humility allowed him the ultimate joy of more fully experiencing the great mystery that surrounded him. It made him a superhero as a human being. It also made him an excellent preacher.
No comments:
Post a Comment