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New Eyes

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

            Did you see the lunar eclipse earlier this week?  My daughters convinced their dad and I to set the alarm for 2:30 am, bundle up and stand outside on our deck to watch this rare event.  It was cold!!  But I’m glad we did it, because it really was wondrous to be out there so late (or early, depending on how you look at it).

            I’d forgotten how many stars there are twinkling in the sky!  I’d forgotten how brilliantly the moon shines, like a precious jewel embedded in the dark fabric of night.

            We marvel at a rare eclipse, and yet all the time we have the moon and stars! 

            Habituation is a blessing and a curse.  Thankfully, the wonders of the world are not defined by our failure to perceive them as such.

            Wonders, wonders all around us!  Still with traces of the creative Wonder who called them into being and set them into motion!  If only we had eyes to see.

            I like to think of all the children’s eyes that will be glowing on Christmas morning when they see presents under the tree.  My twin nieces are just two and a half years this Christmas.  The bright lights and sparkling ornaments on their tree, delicious smells wafting from the kitchen, shiny wrapping paper and bows and a mailbox full of joyful cards are still very new to them – wonders!  Someday they will come to know The One, the reason for it all.

            Someday they will know Jesus Christ, who Himself once saw His world through new eyes.  Imagine, God born in a manger!  It is the greatest wonder of all.

Knowing The Light

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

            Yesterday I talked with someone who has just discovered the Advent wreath.  She is so excited about the idea of lighting another candle each week in growing anticipation of our Lord’s birth, and of His return.  When she talked about it, her eyes lit up!

            I know that light!

            My family’s wreath didn’t exactly turn out the way I had planned this year.  We wanted blue candles, because that’s what we have at church.  But the only ones I could find are a deep navy, not the rich royal blue I had envisioned.  And no matter how I maneuver them in the wreath base, I can’t get all of the candles straight at the same time – there’s always one leaning in or out. 

            Oh, but I’m missing the point, aren’t I?  Maybe it’s time to open my eyes and rediscover the Advent wreath.  Why am I doing all of this in the first place?  Of course I know, but…do I know?

            Maybe it would help to know why my friend is lighting her wreath. 

            Why is she?

            Because for the first time, deep in her heart, she knows that,

            “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

            Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:1-5)

            For the first time, she knows that,

            “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)

            Oh, how I want to know this again – like I did when I first started lighting candles in an Advent wreath!  How about you? 

            Will you pray this with me?  Lord, fill our hearts with the light of your life once again!

Persist, for He is Near

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

            Blows to the spirit can be intense, and can come in quick succession.  They can spin us around violently, sweeping us off course.  They can leave us feeling utterly lost, alone in a dark place where we just faintly recall the joy of walking in faith with The Lord.   Sometimes it seems that though we call out to Him in distress our only answer is the sound of our own voice echoing back.

            What do we do when this happens?

            As Christians we persist in seeking God in Christ.  We press on in prayer, even when there seems to be no answer.  We continue to search The Bible for a Word from Him even when all of the words seem like empty letters on a page.  We cry out with the Apostle Peter,

            “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68 NIV)

This is real faith, stretched to the limit.

            When we do this we will always find the limits of our faith expanding.  The answer will always come, help will always arrive, if we will only persist.

            The problem is, as the darkness closes in on us, we don’t always persist.  Why?

            Maybe we’re caught up in the momentum of fear and doubt.  It takes a great amount of resolve and spiritual energy to go against the swift current of despair and lift a hand to the One who has the strength to pull us out.

            Or maybe we’re growing roots in anger and resentment over the situation, and turning our face from the only One who can set us free.  We question God’s will for us, refusing to go on, refusing to draw near to Him. 

            The problem is not that God doesn’t answer.  It’s that we sometimes cannot hear Him, or do not want to hear Him.  Sometimes the problem is simply that we do not hear Him correctly.  His insistence that,

            “My grace is sufficient for you…”(2 Corinthians 12:9),

is not a slap in the face!  God is not saying, ‘go away and stop bothering me, I’ve given you all the help that I’m going to give you.’

            Heavens no!  When God says,

            “My grace is sufficient for you…”

He means,

            I know you.  I know where you are.  I am right here with you, and I will help you.  I love you, and I will never leave you.  Open your eyes and see, The Light is with you and will lead you through the darkness!

He means that even when we cannot or will not go on, He is able to go on and on and on with us in His everlasting arms.  Though He seems so far away, we are still safe within His grasp.

            Maybe it’s precisely when The Lord is nearest to us that we fail to recognize His Presence.  At a time like this, when He is the only One holding us together, how can we know where we end and He begins?  How can the distinction be anything but blurred?

            Persist.  Believe.  We’ll soon turn the corner.

Hebrews 10:19 – 12:13 is a good passage for a time like this!   Also Psalms 30 and 145.  I’m praying for you!