I watched the river flow past through the raindrops on the
windshield. It was one of those chilly Sunday mornings where you wanted to curl
up by a fire and drink your bitter brew of choice. From inside the car, you
knew it was the river, but from within the dry confines of the vehicle, it made
a curious movement of Van Gogh-ish swirls across the glass; blue-greens, washed
here and there by hints of sparkling white. There was confusion of the eye such
that one could not discern fluidness from the earth. To one who knew better, it
was merely the light through the raindrops creating a titillating joyous
pattern of life upon the window pane. To the unbelieving, it made no sense. “…By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:” -Mt.13:14
The pitter-patter soon became a heavy downpour. The
comforting sound of rain hitting the car’s metal roof took me back to another
time, another place.
The old metal roof of my paternal grandparent’s home was one
of the most comforting places on earth. This time of year, the sounds of the
afternoon rains would drift across the garden leaves that had just begun to sprout,
and dance upon the tin roof. From inside, curled up on your favorite arm of the
bedsheet covered old couch, you found your warmth from within. There was a
precious ambiance of its own; the safety from without and the soothing wholesomeness
of a home surrounded in the love of Christ that flowed within.
Like looking upon a vast landscape, the likes of a view afforded
from the mountain top; one can only look upon the breathtaking vastness before
you become weary from its expanse. Before long, the intimacy of the holler upon
which the Retreat now sits calls, the comfort of that arm of the old bedsheet
covered couch in grandma’s front parlor, a humbleness of view and spirit all
its own returns; warming, softly caressing. To understand this perspective doesn’t
require a formal education, it doesn’t require the memorization of scriptures,
it doesn’t take any practiced ritual of faith; it only takes a view from a pure
heart; a heart that walks with God.
“For this people’s
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with
their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted,
and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears,
for they hear.”-Mt. 13:15-16
Each day the believer walks in a world that is not his own. Around
them, those who live for the here, the now, force their way into our
conversation, our conscious, and our lives. They live non-stop practicing sin;
unforgiven, uncaring, and most often, boastful of their earthly
accomplishments. One motivational speaker, I recall from college, a man, speaking
from his worldly experiences, once told our Electrical Engineering class, “Good things come to those who wait, rather,
success is measured by what is left behind by those who hustle.” His point;
take it all and leave the spoils to the losers. When we focus on that
lifestyle, of hard-driven, climbing the ladder of success, we lose sight of
what is most important. From the faith perspective, it is easy to see. As Jesus
taught, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is
for a rich man to get into heaven. This mindset can often lead to the blindness,
“eyes they have closed,” to which Jesus
referred in the scripture. Their hearts become hardened like stone, and soon,
they can no longer afford to comprehend sayings of faith and belief. It becomes
like a foreign language, one that they cannot comprehend. The world becomes
tainted by their hearts that have waxed grossed.
They-the believers in Christ Jesus- see this world through
eternal eyes, those that see with a purpose, unlike our sister and brethren who
live for the mere existence from day to day. It is not a braggadocious offering,
rather, an objective view. The mere existence of tactile images, visions of
grandeur, splendid beauty that eyes pure of heart can conceive; these are just
a few of the blessings that come with the heart that follows Jesus.
“But these things are seen by the unbeliever just as well,”
you might say.
Yes, they may be seen in a certain light, but the believer,
the one who truly walks by faith, sees these from the perspective as coming
from the hand of God. A creation seen by our eyes that more than speaks to us
visually, but also reaches inside us and strikes a chord to our spirit,
enriching our being in such a way that we come closer to Him; the Father. Through
this means, the Holy Spirit indwells in us, and we become one with Him. Those
who don’t know have closed their eyes to the truth, and as such, are merely
hollow vessels, constantly trying to fill their void with whatever great, new
concept sweeping the globe. This emptiness haunts them until they pass into
eternity, lost in their sin, forever seeking what they will never find.
Yet, it is there for all for the asking.
This morning, as my eyes were inspired by the collage of
colors sweeping across my simple windshield, in my heart, God was playing an orchestra
of thoughts and emotions. To explain this to the one with a waxen heart is merely
to express the words of detail, but to the believer, the conceptualization of
the moment whispers of their own fruitful living and a time when they too might
have felt a common connection.
Jesus told his disciples when they sought to understand his
parables, “For verily I say unto you,
That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye
see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have
not heard them.”
We can walk in this world, but we may never see this world
as those who are of this world. It is our responsibility as Christ-followers to
share the truth, and allow those who are lost to find Him.
Those who chose to ignore the truth face grave consequences.
As Jesus once more explained to his disciples after the sharing of the parables,
“So shall it be at the end of the world:
the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And
shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing
of teeth.”- Mt. 13:49-50.
Seek the Master’s hand, confess your sins at the foot of the
cross, and invite Him into your heart.
You will be forever changed.
Thanks be to God.
o
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A pale grayness peered through the driving rain as the car’s wipers struggled to keep up. Another late night, another early morning; the time between inconsequential except for the desirousness of sleep that beckoned helplessly. Like a maiden that stands on the porch, sheltered from the torrential downpour, bidding her prince, her dearest love, goodbye as he rides off, departing for the calling of the war which awaits beyond the shelter of the nearby mountaintops, so does one leave the warm bed on days like this. The only consolation, that warm mug of bitter brew that awaits at the top of the hill in the cozy coffee shop, and the beloved, worn Bible – God’s word; like an old friend, they await your arrival.
