Longing to Do and Be Good

On the plane yesterday I happened to watch "42", a cinematic telling of the story of the first black Major League Baseball player, Jackie Robinson.

The movie was lovely, I thought, showing in a simple way the great personal sacrifices that Mr. Robinson made, as well as his great virtue.

I'm not writing a film review though. The important thing to me is how it communicated with me. During the flight I had been praying, wanting to feel closer to God, and wanting to feel some direction for this recording project that I am embarking on.

During the movie I found myself adoring the goodness of the the man, Jackie Robinson. I found myself wanting so badly to be good, to do well, to do the very best that I can. In those moments, with tears in my eyes, I felt God talking to me. It's natural to want to do well, in fact, very well. It's natural to want to be beautiful, to do beautiful things, to love beauty and goodness and justice.

Was God talking to me in that movie? Yes, I think so. That feeling of spiritual love, the simple love of goodness and the childlike desire to be involved with it. Yes, yes, yes. That's God, and there He is, right in the middle of my flight from Cleveland to LA. Right on time as I need to feel the love of my work hold beautiful high hopes for my new recording.

This cd is not about me! I am learning more and more that it is simply about the practical effectiveness of the qualities of God. Beauty, insight, poetry, care, gentleness, spiritual defiance - each of these things, felt, changes the life.

So, let us feel our deep natural (SO NATURAL!) desire to do and be good. Let's commit to it and do it at all costs. Let's correct ourselves when we get lazy. Let's remember our heroes and reject the notion that our lives aren't meant for white hot pure goodness.

What can keep us from this? What can keep us from striving, day and night, to be good? To get better and better and better every day such that our lives are works of art?