To Know or Not To Know
An old philosophical question asks; if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it does it still make a sound? That same conceptual mystery prevails around God. We ask or pray for the Lord to make His presence known or visible to us, to allow us to once again see his shining face. Yet, God does not present Himself to us, but rather through us. God is everywhere, influencing life and lives, directly and indirectly. If we are inclined to tune in, we can see His winds dust the leaves, His rain quench the many thirsts of nature or feel the warmth of His sun drying a path or melting some flakes. We can see Him pause a passerby in mid-step to extend a helping hand, lift a swooping bird over an approaching vehicle, paint rainbows atop horizons or spontaneously dismiss disease from a body. God delivers hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak, patience to the tried and clarity to the lost. He does all of this and more, without turning His back, closing His eyes, taking a bow or nodding His head. He dismisses the morning fog, clears a path to understanding, prompts us to share each lesson and returns our loudest “hello” from an adjacent peak. He prompts our sleep with darkened skies and chirps a good morning through the voices of wings. God does make His presence known to us every moment, but we take Him for granted as we do so many of his children who assist with His work.
We would rather pay a tribute or tweet about a “Star” who can not dance or sing, a game where deception survives, a player who fails more than succeeds, a representative who follows a party but not his host. We’ll tune into an Emmy, an Oscar or a CMA, go to a race, a game, a match or show before we’ll visit His house. And then we wonder why we can’t see Him. God is the Father of all fathers, the Son of the highest, the Spirit of good, the caring physician, our Creator, Savior, Redeemer and Teacher, He’s selfless, flawless and the high mark of forgiveness. So what’s for us to notice? I believe the words of our Lord Jesus were too suddenly silenced. What began in Luke 23:43 as, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” might have continued on as … or who they are, who you are, why they’re here, what you do, how you love them or what they’re missing! The greatest moments that I experience each day occur when I know, doubtlessly, that the greatest power to ever exist is listening carefully to my words and influencing my life. Thank you.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE (Please share you comments with us and others)
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