Grey clouds are scudding north as fast as they can. The sun is trying to dispel some of the gloominess, but though its efforts are valiant, they do not quite succeed.
A southerly breeze is wafting through the window, cool and crisp. I am sitting here writing with half my mind on you all, and half on watching two of my younger siblings as they practice making baskets out in front of the house.
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I wonder what you are all doing at this very minute. It is strange to think that one can have friends in so many places doing so many different things. It is hard to imagine that where you all are the weather may be totally different from what it is here and that the clock may be ticking a different time. It is so hard for me to think beyond what I see and hear.
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Life is like that. We all live our lives in a world that is all our own. A world that is self-centered more times than not, a world that is small despite the fact that we have the technology to connect with anyone at almost any time almost anywhere in the world. We each see with limited eye sight. We can only see and feel that which concerns us or those we love most. We cannot grieve over the losses that occur every day in the lives of so many, in fact I don't think that God meant us to do that. But no one can argue the fact that everyone, no matter their age, no matter their culture, no matter what it is that makes up their lives, everyone is short sited.
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The only way that our vision can be expanded is for us to see through the eyes of our Master. Seeing things through His eyes is like putting on reading glasses.
Everything is magnified so that we can see things more clearly. Seeing through the Master's eyes is like wearing bifocals. You can see clearly the things at hand, and see clearly the things in the distance. Looking through the Master's eyes makes everything clearer, and helps us to see out of our little boxes that we call "the world."
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We are only a speck of dust in the eyes of God. We think we know so much, that we are really getting to know Him and His Word more every day, and maybe we are, but in reality everything we know doesn't amount to even one grain of sand's worth of all the knowledge there is to know. We all have times when we become proud because we have read our Bible so much, or because we have memorized more scripture then so-and-so, or because we don't do "bad" things. But, that pride is misplaced. We have not even one thing that we can be really proud of. If truth be known, our whole lives are one big mess. We have messed up in everything we have ever tired and we are, well, quite frankly, losers. Our so called goodness is so dirty that it really isn't good at all.
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That is why God's love and grace are so amazing. I cannot fully comprehend what it must have been like for God, the Father, to watch as His Son suffered and died on the cross. I cannot imagine how hard it was to turn His face away from the One who was a part of all He had ever done. Who truly was bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh.
I don't guess I will ever fully understand it, but even though I am unable to grasp what an awesome sacrifice God gave for us, I still know that it is the most awesome thing ever!
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As we go through our day-to-day routines, let's try to remember all Christ suffered for our sake. Let's not take for granted the life we have been given. Let's not live half-heatedly for God and run with the other half of our hearts towards worldly things, no matter how tempting. Let us strive with our every breath to lean on God, knowing that we are nothing without Him, and press onwards toward the goal.
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How are you running today? Are you running the race with all you have got? Are you pushing ahead of the crowd and pulling out in front? Yeah, I know, at times it becomes lonely running out front, but you are never alone. God is with you.
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Are you running even when you muscles get sore and you are starting to hurt? You know what? Pain is a good thing. It helps your running muscles get stronger; it helps you to build up endurance.
This race is a long one, it began the day you were born and its course keeps you on a winding up-hill, and down-hill run until the day you die. Are you in this thing whole-heatedly? Are you in for the long run? Are you willing to run until you fall and then let Him help you up so you can keep pressing ahead? Or are you going to drop out and take the much easier walking trails?
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What is the prize worth to you? Is is worth your very life, your very blood? If it isn't, I encourage you to do some soul searching. Look at the map closely. Are you willing to give up the reward for an easier walk now, or are you ready to give it your all and run the hardest race ever? What is your goal?
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