Have you ever been transfixed? That’s not a trick question. The answer, by the way, is yes. At some point in your life, you’ve either seen something so beautiful – or heard something so wonderful – that you were literally moved to tears. I’m curious: when was the last time you were transfixed? Was it recently? Or was it a while ago? When you last experienced that indescribably glorious feeling in your spirit, how did you respond? Perhaps you sat there in silent awe as tears streamed down your face. Or maybe you laughed from a place or space so deep inside your soul that you almost felt like a child again. Or perchance you simply looked up towards heaven and said aloud “thank you.”
The word transfixed is an adjective which is derived from the noun transfixion. Transfixion is defined as “the state of being fascinated, spellbound, or enthralled.” This English word originated from the late 1500’s Latin word transfixus – which meant “to pierce through.”
The last time I experienced transfixion was this morning. I didn’t sleep well last night. My body was willing, but my mind was cluttered with the mental to-do list so common in the postmodern world: the places I need to go, the people I need to meet, the things I’ve left undone which need to be done, all the meetings I need to attend, the topics I fully intend to write about as soon as I get the time to do so, and so on and so forth. We’ve all done the alarm clock tango: I have to get up in 5 hours… I have to get up in 3 hours… I have to get up in 1 hour.
I’m not a coffee drinker, so there’s no cavalry readily available for me when/if I’m sleep deprived. The only thing that remedies my lack of sleep is sleep – and at the beginning of my workday, that wasn’t an option. I had a full-on case of the blahs. I didn’t want breakfast or an energy drink or even a snack. Subsequently, I was grumpy and I knew it. When I reached the office, I wanted to be alone primarily because I didn’t want to be short with someone else just because I was tired. But, God is always right on time. I get emails from friends and family members all the time containing links to videos supposedly uplifting. My busy schedule usually prevents me from spending any real time sorting through these links. But this morning, I deviated from the norm. The first email I read today contained a link to a video which absolutely transfixed me. Inside of 5 minutes, I wasn’t tired anymore. I wasn’t grumpy. Suddenly, I was crying tears of joy. My out-of-the-blue transfixion had me feeling 50 feet tall.
In the video, I saw a glimpse of a 21-year old British mechanic named Josh Daniel. While auditioning for the British TV show “X-Factor” recently, Daniel dedicated the Labrinth song “Jealous” to his best friend who died two years ago. I don’t know which was more magnificent – his singing voice or his explanation for how much he missed his buddy. Daniel’s performance instantly moved Simon Cowell to tears. It reduced me to tears, too. To see Daniel walk off that stage and embrace his mother as she joyously said, “My boy, my boy” will probably pierce your heart in the very best way imaginable, too.
That video got me to thinking. What if every congregant in church – regardless of the system of faith – was moved to tears at least once a month? What if every married man was moved to tears by his wife at least once a week? What if the entirely organic fellowship which takes place when babies of different ethnicities are allowed to play together was actively encouraged rather than actively discouraged? What if politicians – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike – were transfixed daily on solving America’s problems for the greatest good of all instead for the greatest good of a few? What if the transfixion of nations was peace rather than war? What if society somehow engaged our young people to focus on their futures rather than solely on the present? What if the rich were transfixed on the plight of the poor? What if discrimination in general – and racism in particular – were finally revealed as the self-inflicted wounds they truly are? What if all of God’s people relied upon Him at all times, not just bad times? If we did all of these things, or even some of these things, life as we know it would be forever changed. We could decimate racism and poverty and crime and illiteracy and apathy and warfare.
When you’ve been transfixed, you have the ability to recognize life for what it truly is: the ability to laugh, to love, to learn, to latch on to those things which are good, and to let go of those things which aren’t good.
Being transfixed is among the rarest of gifts in that for those precious moments, you truly wish everyone on earth could feel the way that you feel.
Josh Daniel, thank you for reminding me of the tremendous potential inherent to mankind. Well done, sir. Godspeed!
So again I ask, when was the last time you were transfixed? Isn’t it time to feel that way again?
