“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
– Matthew 7:7-8
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
– Matthew 21:22
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
– Jeremiah 29:13
“In all the ways that I love thee Lord, let me count the ways”
– Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The dim light reflects in the dark mahogany depths of my coffee mug as spirited vapors swirl upward while my hands grasp the warmth of the essence within, encouraging the words that speak to me from the letters on the page written so many centuries before. In them, as with the steam from the cup, there lies a spiritual essence of God speaking to us if only we recognize its presence. For the question that presents itself this morning in so many different ways is this,
“What do we seek in life?” Do we seek God in all things, or does it take a philharmonic orchestra and fireworks to stir us enough to entreat a momentary thought? Or do we take the time to meditate in prayer, listening to that still small voice for discernment? Might we search for the precious crumb of Godliness in the most minute detail of our lives, whether inanimate or alive, not finding Him literally in those things but finding his fingerprints, the forensic remnants of the Master’s hand upon his creation?
Walking amongst the scenic boughs of the forested landscape, it’s easy to encompass one’s thoughts about a Creator, especially when backlit by a vibrant sunrise or sunset. It takes an extra level of focus, however, to find something transcendent in the daily grind we call life. My eyes often grow weary reading code as it scrolls down the screen, one line of numbers and text after another – it can become overwhelmingly hypnotic, to the point you can literally forget to leave your chair for hours. Yet, you must be able to press the brake pedal and sit back, and like the circus juggler spinning multiple pates upon the end of long pool cue-like sticks, for an instant relish in the moment, realizing that through all the multitude of monitors, various automated scrolling windows, and flashing icons all vying for your attention, there is something magnificent at work. From the tiniest beginning of computing, the single bit, to the vastness of the implications of AI, there has to be something working through us, something that drives mankind to pursue the development of technology beyond what we might be able to control. It is in this reflection that we might find, as with the sunrises bursting through the distant tree line, that we are not the masters of our realm any more than the sand crab is of his shell. We exist because He hath made us, and not of ourselves. When we seek Him in all things, we find that there are expanses of vastness while infinitesimally small nanoparticles that keep the brightest scientist challenged to understand. It is as if God unveils one little wrinkle of His infinite being, one minuscule particle at a time. To mankind, they become life-changing discoveries. Meanwhile, you can almost hear God laugh.
Today, take the time to pause and reflect, seeking God in even the most obscure item. Although it might seem elusive, be patient, and perhaps you will find that door upon which to knock, that it might be opened into a deeper love of the Father. God is always there waiting for us to seek Him; all we have to do is awaken to this realization and find a life beyond expectations.
Seek Him with all your heart and soul, and you will be blessed beyond measure.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom.”-Psalm 90:12
Outside the Retreat, the pitter-patter of raindrops falls
gently upon the rooftop. The sound is soothing to one’s soul and adds a sense
of tranquility to the ambiance within. Inside, the fire warms my body, removing
the damp chill from the outside. Reflectively, I sip on the hot drink while peering
into the red-hot coals. The flames dance around in their anguished throttled
roar while the occasional pop and hiss remind you that the scene before you is
real. My mind drifts, like the puffs of smoke up the chimney, thinking of friends
and colleagues of my former days.
Many faces come and go in the swirl of steam up the chimney,
like their lives, several now gone, passed on. Each individual remains with me,
each with their own story, each with a remnant of who they were left behind
with my own being. My good friend, Vance
Dunn, who recently passed, came to mind, as he so often does. He would have
dearly loved the opportunity to sit with me by the fire and discuss the many
thoughts that would bounce into our heads as we supped on our warm brews. On
one particular road trip, whereby we were headed to training as part of our Junior
Appalachian Musicians (JAM) affiliation, we spent the several hour drive to the
mountains doing just that; talking in-depth about everything and anything that
popped into the stream of our conscious thought. One specific conversation that
returned to me this morning was our animated discussion about vocabulary and
the word “regardless” versus “irregardless.”
Vance loved to latch onto something and then to pull it back
into the conversation, again and again. His observation, and probably the
meaning behind the reason for which the word that percolated to the top of our
discussion that day, was how many in the world of academia often try to sound
more important than they are by the use of grammar that is either incorrect or
absurdly unnecessary; thus, the word “irregardless.” Many
scholars maintain there is no such word as irregardless because regardless already means “without
regard.”[1]
Vance had an extreme disdain for professors or teachers who spoke down to their
students.
The Apostle Paul would write, “For if a man think himself
to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”[2]
Paul’s intention was to say more simply, “Don’t try to pretend to be something
you’re not.”
Now Vance had
every right with which to speak in such terms. Having been a scientist at NASA,
he dealt with and helped train many of their engineers and researchers over the
years. He had worked with many a person that felt their position in life was
enough to warrant them respect simply by their title. Yet, he would share with
me that those who walked humbly in that regard had far more impact on those
with whom they dealt than the former. Vance’s intellect was far beyond what I
could hope to ever achieve. In essence, he was, at least to me, a true genius.
He never tried to be superior when we talked, but rather, would humor me in
meaningful terms so that we would traverse life from one end of the spectrum to
the other, regardless of who was listening. Once we started, when time allowed,
we would literally carry on with our own geekish comical relief, much to the
disdain of those that were within earshot, for hours. He conveyed to me on this
day how “irregardless” wasn’t really a real word, but rather something people
would utter when they wanted to sound more intellectual. So, in our effectual
dialogue, we would carry on with statements like “Regardless of how
irregardless something truly is, you still can’t say irregardless unless you’re
holding something up to be something it isn’t, regardless of its actual
meaning,” and then we would roll with laughter until tears would fill our eyes.
Paul would go on
to write, “But let every man prove his own work and then shall he have
rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”[3]
Vance proved his
merit by serving his country both in the Army and then working for the
Aeronautical Space Agency. He would spend his career working for NASA and
eventually retire with his family to Chatham County, North Carolina, where he
and I would eventually meet. He often substitute taught in the school system,
filling in for those roles many would pass. Vance’s favorite predicament was
walking into a High School Calculus class and picking up wherever the teacher
left off. Mind you, this was years after he had touched a mathematical formula.
He would always tell me, “You can always solve anything if you work it back to
the root.” After studying for and eventually passing the NC High School Math
Praxis myself, his words would come back to me, again and again, regardless if
we hadn’t seen each other in years.
During our
conversations of faith, I never quite understood where Vance stood exactly. As
with most intellects, he preferred to remain aloof about his belief in God.
Yet, when it came down to it, I had the sense that he honestly believed but was
more skeptical of religion as a whole. As Ravi Zacharias put it, “We are not
Christians because of the abominations or denominations we belong to, but
whether you know Jesus Christ in your heart.” It was in these
theological interactions that I sometimes felt as if Vance was questioning me
not only for something to pursue intellectually but that he was actually
becoming aware of seeing someone moved by the Holy Spirit. In our walk of
faith, we should never fear witnessing to anyone regardless of their station in
life. As Paul would convey, “Let him that is taught in the word communicate
unto him that teacheth in all good things.”[4]
A few months ago,
before the wheels fell off my life, I was to speak at a church back in Chatham
County. It was a wonderful blessing in and of itself, to be asked to share a
sermon with the Cumnock Union Church, but was equally rewarding in seeing so
many brother and sisters in Christ once more. It was during this trip that God
spoke to me and said that I should stop by and see my friend Vance and his
family before heading home. So, after
sharing fellowship with the brethren at Cumnock, I then turned off the highway
and found myself winding through the little streets of Goldston, and eventually
pulling into the driveway of Vance’s family’s farm. There, one last time I sat
with my old friend and shared in past experiences. Denise, his daughter,
brought him out to the couch to sit and visit with me and it was then that I
was struck with the reality of what time and illness had done to my friend. He
had suffered in his last years from advancing Dementia and Alzheimer’s
diseases. We tried to revive a minuscule portion of days gone by, but in the
end, faith in God was all that remained, for my dear friend was not the man he
once was. The horrific disease had taken a brilliant mind away from the shell
of the man that sat before me. Inside, my heart was sobbing, but outwardly, I
was thanking God for this short time together. We said goodbye, and part of me
realized that this may be the last.
There had been
plans to return for some other possible speaking engagements, but once the
trials and afflictions began, there was nothing to do but try to survive, and
as such, those events fell by the wayside.
Not long ago, I
saw Denise’s post of Vance’s passing, and with it, my heart dropped. Gone was
the last chance to say one more goodbye. Gone was that last chance to jokingly
poke fun of so many that held themselves in such high regard, regardless if
they deserved it or not. But in the end, I know that Vance found God as
inspiring as he had hoped, for in the end, when he crossed into that eternal
home, he found intellect beyond his own and enough time to laugh and share with
those minds that would match his own.
Tonight, I am
thankful for all the lives that have crossed my path in life, and especially people
like my friend Vance. May we never forget them and let us pray that we carry
their legacy with us, sharing with all a part of who they were for others to
carry on.
Thanks be to God.
“If any of you
lack wisdom,
let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and
it shall be given him.”-James 1:5
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
