“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”

– William Butler Yeats

Here lies the eternal question.  How do we know where we are going?  Do we wait for Divine Guidance to push us along, or do we begin to move and trust that our efforts will be rewarded with arrows that point us in the right direction?  I am not here today to offer a definitive answer.  Rather, I am grateful to these words by Yeats that lead me, once again, to consider the questions.  So many of our opinions are formed by the things we observe in the world around us.  Physics teaches us that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.  I suppose that would be a vote in favor of making the iron hot by striking.  If we already are in motion, that energy can be used to take us toward our goal.  On the other hand, suppose our progress toward our goal requires that we sit in silence today and reflect on our past journey?

An object in motion tends to stay in motion.  When does the motion begin?  Is it something that occurs on the day we are born, or is it an ongoing sort of prodding that takes place from day to day and year to year as we move through life?  Again, there is no answer.

What is constant, though, is that we are meant to strike the iron — whether it is heated before the hammer falls or whether the friction of the hammer’s blows adds energy that makes the iron pliable.  We are here to bring our own creative contributions to the world we inhabit.  If we are created in the image of the Creator, then we will be powerless to resist the urge to create.  Each of us must ask our own questions about inspiration and creation; about potential and intention.  Whether we forge ahead boldly without knowing where the path will lead or sit silently and listen for direction, ultimately we will be who we were created to be.

When the iron is hot, strike — regardless of how it has reached the point of being transformed.