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The past few weeks, i've really felt overwhelmed. Not only overwhelmed by work and schoolwork pressures, but overwhelmed in a deeply positive way by all that i am able to enjoy in the big things -- work, schoolwork, deep friendships -- and in the small things of life. And then, on Thursday night, the following short poem struck me:

Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world round me;
And with tomorrow begins another.
Why am I allowed two?

These words, penned years ago by GK Chesterton, reflect so poignantly on the privileges we enjoy daily -- we gaze at the most majestic peaks, examine the patterns on the seashore, are fascinated by the tiniest of insects, we're awe-struck by the beauty of the creation beating all around us; every time we are swept away by music or marvel at the cry of the fish eagle, or the cry of new-born life; every time we settle to work with out hands or feel the warmth and strength of another's hands.

Surely these privileges are more than we deserve -- we who so often fail to recognise their source; we who take them for granted and, worse, despise the privileges we have, demand more from the sovereign Creator, and abuse the very creation we see, hear, and touch. Surely, to be allowed just one day of seeing God at work, hearing God at work, feeling His touch through another -- surely such a privilege is so much more than we deserve. And yet, with that privilege, comes an awesome responsibility: to be Christ's eyes, ears, and hands in this great world. And what an awesome privilege that responsibility itself is.