This began as a comment on a Facebook memory, but I want to share it here. I believe this is a word for us all at this time.
At the late hour of 7am, it is mostly a clear morning. There are just enough clouds on the horizon to lend texture to the wide expanse of blue, and to provide a reflective surface to showcase the talents of the sunrise…And, just like that, the Lord begins to minister to me…Imagine yourself as a cloud, floating along in the currents of this worldly existence. When we think of clouds, we can be inclined to think of dreary grayness, lack of sun, and rain. Sadness, brokenness, and melancholy might come to mind…But what truly makes a sunrise sensational? Yes, the sun is big, bright and brilliant, but we see more deeply into its divine beauty when we see it reflected in and on those very things that we’ve labeled with brokenness. Without the clouds on the horizon, what would reflect the magnificence? What would catch and hold the heavenly color-scapes as a testament of Gods love for us, His passionate love for us? Think of your own life. We’ve all been broken. But we are not simply floating on the breeze, but on the wind of the Holy Spirit…Our brokenness is merely to serve as a reflective surface for the rising of the Son. Beauty for ashes. He transforms, daily, our grayness into a masterpiece of art. It is about perception. We can see the clouds as sadness, or we can see them as backdrops for showing the world the transforming power of the love of God.
Reading this memory, I can’t help but use it as a lens thru which to see today’s circumstances…The backdrop for showcasing the goodness of God has been set in place, and the hour has arrived for His love to be lavished upon a generation that is learning what it means to be broken. The world is ripened for revival. The temptation to debate is hot on our tongue’s tip, but our Lord is saying, “Stop the pettiness of proving your own righteousness, and do what I’ve commanded you to do.”
He has commanded us to love each other. He has given us a book of demonstrated love to use as our reference. Every answer to every question that we might have is in the Bible. Every instruction on how to let His love flow thru us is in this book. And it MUST begin in our individual lives. Not only must it begin there, but it must remain there. Imagine the beauty that our God would see if He looked down and saw every Christian walking their walk in demonstration of His love and the giftings of that love! Reaching out with our opinions and garnering agreement is not what we are called to do, however strong the temptation is to do so. What WILL bind us together and attract those in need of a Savior is the love that we allow to flow thru us as individuals. It is all about how we approach the people that God puts in front of us on our personal journeys on His path. If we want Him to look down and see that beauty, we have to focus on what is in front of us…We have to embrace the lives we have and take responsibility for reflecting Jesus to those around us. How do we treat the Walmart worker who never smiles and always complains about her job? What hope do we offer her? What about the coworker that you see everyday in the breakroom, the one who never talks, but has pain written all over his face…Do we do more than nod our heads in passing? The media would have us to think that we need to band together in huge numbers to make a difference, but that is not so. Let us trust that God has strategically placed us where he wants to use us, and let this revival of His love begin! Watch and see as He knits us together with His love as we allow it to freely flow thru us!
The Peace of the Path 