On The Journey To Becoming a Man

A wise person once told me that maturity is the ability to live with ambiguity. How I wish it wasn't so! How I long for nice, easy, clear answers that would direct my paths as a husband, father and minister. And yet, it is clear that becoming a man is about living with ambiguity. Rilke, the French poet invites us to, "To live the questions," and that is certainly one of the great challenges for me.
The ambiguity reveals itself in being patient and tolerant with one of my children and impatient and intolerant with another, in the very same moment. How I reconcile this is part of the path in which I find myself. Ambiguity in my life means that both weakness and strength are welcome. It means that both the light and the shadow that are within myself have a place at the table. It means that both the joy and the pain of my life can be held together. The way that I live this ambiguity will hopefully lead me one day into maturity; a maturity that is grounded and free at the same time.
I know that I will become a man within relationships. So, I find great comfort in living my life as a father and husband in my family and being part of a community of faith.

- Keith Reynolds