One of my kids came home from summer camp and said he’d had an epiphany. I won’t share what it was here, but simply using the word epiphany impressed me. And in the space before he shared the actual revelation, I was sure I was about to hear something about a girl or food.
But it wasn’t.
It was significant and life changing.
Between the making friends, water sports and sleeping on the houseboat deck, he heard (and listened to) God.
Epiphany is one of those words that I think you barely have to look up- even if you’re not exactly sure of its meaning. It sounds like itself. It kind of is the sound you’d make if you were trying to imitate a trumpet. Musical, but bold.
And when you experience an epiphany, isn’t it like that? There is a melody to it, a perfect rightness. The recognition of exact truth. But within that music, there is a boldness. You sit up and take notice. Epiphanies are not lullabies.
My stepson’s experience lead him to know/accept more love and friendship in his life. And some I have experienced have lead me to a similar spot. Others have lead me to emotional freedom. Others have lead me to forgive. But some have been painful. No less truth-filled than the lovey-dovey ones, but hard and not exactly welcome.
The other thing I’ve noticed about the epiphanies I’ve experienced, they don’t usually come in the way you expect them. I’ve never had one come with a lot of fanfare, planning or even expectation. No marching band, no thunderbolts or angel wings. I had a huge one about an old relationship watching a Tom Hanks movie that had no obvious correlation whatsoever. I had one about my husband while we sat in a truck at a red light on our way to pick up take out. I had another one this week while reading a pretty dry piece of management bylaws.
For being so big, those epiphanies can be sneaky little suckers.
Beautifully written, Charise.