“Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?” Oswald Chambers’ words caused me to reflect on the past few months – busy months of traveling, company in our home, grandkids, and just kids, wanting and needing our attention, heavier than usual ministry involvement, friendships and routines still being cared for, and health concerns attempting to disquiet it all. I recognized in Chambers’ words the same truth I have presented to others, a truth I am fully aware of that I need to cling to in my own life. I can view God through life, or I can view life through God. It becomes a matter of perspective, but a perspective that strongly impacts my responses. I remembered too the analogy of a mirror and a window. When I look in a mirror, I only see myself. That reflection of self grows my self-centeredness and feeds my disappointments and my woe-is-me attitude. Life can be a mirror that evokes a me-focus, or life can be a window that allows me to see God. Yes, life can be busy and it can be disappointing or even painful. Tragedies can threaten or intrude, and my heart can be twisted more tightly than humanly seems possible. In the New Testament though, Peter reminds us that the trials and difficulties of life are opportunities for our faith to be strengthened and to grow. Even joy is possible amidst the stench and hardships of life, when our faith is in God who promises stability and enablement.
The centurion in Matthew 8 saw the torment of his paralyzed servant, but what he saw more profoundly was the power of Christ. And when the centurion looked at the servant through Christ, he recognized what God was able to do. Several verses later, the disciples are caught in an abrupt storm on the Sea of Galilee, probably with horrific winds and towering waves, both of which were common. Jesus Himself was in the boat with the disciples, but the disciples were certain of their imminent death because they saw the storm before they saw Christ. Peter’s words allude to the fact that sometimes we don’t “see” God at all, but even so, we can still choose to believe. It is in the choosing to believe that my spiritual eyes are opened to see God through the windows of life. My faith may be challenged and my emotions may begin to scream, but the light of the reality of Jesus Christ quiets my spirit and nurtures my faith. Life then only frames the window, but the One I see, is the One who allows me to face things as they actually are and emerge stronger and more vibrant in the power and enabling of God.
– Bev
(Related Bible reading: Matthew 8:5-13,23-27)
