When things get really bad, flood yourself with God’s word. Sound easy doesn’t it? If we don’t follow this advice we tend to see things from our earthly perspective instead of God’s perspective. I read a article from a website that stated we currently see only the back side of our life’s tapestry. A disorderly tangle of yarn. What we miss and don’t imagine is the beautiful picture being created on the other side.
In our earthly perspective we look at two churches of differing denominations who were located only a few blocks from each other in a small community. They thought it might be better if they would merge and become one united body, larger and more effective than two struggling churches. Good idea from God’s view but from the earthy view they were too petty to pull it off. They could not agree on how they would recite the Lord’s Prayer. One group wanted “forgive us our trespasses” while the other demanded “ forgive us our debts”. So the newspaper reported that one church went back to its trespasses while the other returned to its debts.
In the same thought I read a story about two unmarried sisters who lived together. Because of a slight argument over an insignificant issue, they stopped speaking to each other. Unable and unwilling to move out of their small house, they continued to use the same rooms, eat at the same table (separately), and sleep in the same bedroom. WITH OUT ONE WORD. A chalk line divided the sleeping area into two halves, separating a doorway and fireplace. Each could come a go, cook and eat, sew and read without crossing over into her sister’s area. Because neither was willing to take the first step to forgiveness, they coexisted for years in LOUD silence. It never ceases to amaze me at how petty we can get over things that really don’t amount to a hill of beans in the final analysis. Earthly instead of God’s perspective. I am sure some things make the Lord smile. Unfortunately somethings make Him very unsurprised and sad.
We need to stop trying to read the tea leaves. We need to just listen to what is right, with God, and stop asking why, what is in it for me? Besides when we try to make sense of what appears to be senseless to others, we are choosing to trust what we can see rather than the God we cannot see. We need to accept that we are incapable of comprehending the complexities of life in so vast a universe. We need to trust our heavenly Father. We are not the tapestry-makers. God is!
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Walter Coy
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