Pastor’s Email Devotion The Week of Pentecost 19 October 19, 2014 PROMPT -- From a distance there is harmony, and it echoes through the land. And its the hope of hopes, its the love of loves, its the heart of every man. ~~ “From A Distance” Lyrics, Julie Gold, Songwriter REFLECTION -- I rub so much that my fingertips are tender. It has been way too long since I sanded and painted the trim on our house. Now it’s time to pay the piper. I avoid this particular home-owning chore because it defeats me. No matter how long … how much … how hard … how diligently I sand, it never looks great. The weathering of wood that is exposed to nature’s elements, defies perfection. It makes me crazy. I want to believe that I can make all the surfaces perfectly smooth – not happening, of course. Nature wins every time. So while it was a beautiful weekend to be outside for most of the day, I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the quality of my work. Then Nancy invited me out to the street in front of our house to take a look at our progress to that point. And I grudgingly had to admit that from a distance, the inconsistencies and scars of the wood were not noticeable as it wore its new liquid wardrobe. It looked great once I got some perspective. I guess perspective is like that, right? I was able to see my “house” with all its blemishes, as the “home” where we have forged a family along with its associated memories. It’s a good house in spite of its scars … and maybe because of it. My life isn’t always so pretty when seen close up. I’m not a bad person, I don’t think, just as my house is not a bad house. We both just have some scars and warts. If I obsess over those scars, or give more weight to the sin in my life than to the places of grace in my life, then I don’t like what I see. I’m too close to it. It has the power to consume my sight and make me think it is all that exists. And thus, I am reminded of my dependence upon my Lord and Savior. Christ is always able to take the broad perspective of my life and yours from a distance. God knows our sin and failures – those blemishes upon our lives as children of God. God works within us to create repentance and cleansing, and sands the rough edges off of our souls. But the scars remain on this side of the Kingdom. So in the end, we pray for pardon and grace. We dare to ask our God to view us from a distance in terms of our sin, even though God knows each and every hair on our head, each mark and blemish upon our life. I am grateful for God’s far-sightedness. (Note – Bette Midler has the best rendition on “From A Distance” that I’ve heard … I’m just saying) PRAYER -- Loving Father, give me courage to recognize that when it feels like you are distant from me, it is simply a moment in which you are gazing upon me with broader and more gracious eyes. Help me to focus less on my sins and failures, and more upon your grace and love flowing through my life. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 02:57:18 +0000