As a verb or a noun, its simplicity is resoundingly simple. God whispers. Not God screams, or yells, or is silent. God whispers.
Louie was wrapping up his series on Hope on Sunday morning and told the story of a girl who was struggling with God over abuse that she suffered when she was younger. She questioned God, saying, "God...where were you when that was happening to me?" Apparently she felt God respond to her by gently whispering, "I was there, weeping." God fully understands the pain we feel. And sometimes we underestimate His ability to empathize with us.
But one of my favorite Psalms reminds us that God knows us inside and out; after all, He is the one who made us! (Psalm 139). And yet, it is so easy to compartmentalize God and put Him up on the shelf with our Bible and only get Him down when we have a need, a request, or something distressing is happening in our lives. It is only when we begin to integrate Him into our daily plans that we realize how much His ideas really do work and that His principles are designed to make our lives richer.
All this is to say that I am working hard on renewing my mind daily and realizing that I am a part of God's bigger story.
Which reminds me of this poster I have in my classroom. It's a photograph of Norman Rockwell's painting, "The Golden Rule." If you aren't familiar with this painting, it is a picture of a group of people, dressed in clothing depicting their varying nationalities. Most of them have their heads bowed in some sense, as if they are all looking toward something. At the bottom of the picture are the words, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I bought the poster at the United Nations. But before the poster, I saw it for real. Someone has actually installed a mosaic of this painting on a huge wall inside the UN. You could really look at it for a long time, each tile so intricately laid in its right place. It's fascinating really.
When I think about God's plan for me, and for all of humanity, I think about that mosaic. It's one of the best mosaics I've ever seen up close. But just think, what if a big chunk of tiles were missing from it? It wouldn't look the same. It would still be art, but something would be missing. But what if---what if ONE single tile were missing? Would that make a difference worth noting? It would if it were part of an eye, a cheek, a chin, a hand, a piece of clothing. There would be a hole that no other tile would match color-wise. And this is how God feels about us. He valued our relationship with Him so much that He was willing to sacrifice His son so that we can be part of His ultimate story. So that we can be part of his magnum opus---His great work. And I definitely do not want to miss out on that. Do you?
If you want to check out the mosaic, here's a link:
http://www.gcms.k12.il.us/gcmsms/art/art%20appreciation/rockwell.jpg
Louie was wrapping up his series on Hope on Sunday morning and told the story of a girl who was struggling with God over abuse that she suffered when she was younger. She questioned God, saying, "God...where were you when that was happening to me?" Apparently she felt God respond to her by gently whispering, "I was there, weeping." God fully understands the pain we feel. And sometimes we underestimate His ability to empathize with us.
But one of my favorite Psalms reminds us that God knows us inside and out; after all, He is the one who made us! (Psalm 139). And yet, it is so easy to compartmentalize God and put Him up on the shelf with our Bible and only get Him down when we have a need, a request, or something distressing is happening in our lives. It is only when we begin to integrate Him into our daily plans that we realize how much His ideas really do work and that His principles are designed to make our lives richer.
All this is to say that I am working hard on renewing my mind daily and realizing that I am a part of God's bigger story.
Which reminds me of this poster I have in my classroom. It's a photograph of Norman Rockwell's painting, "The Golden Rule." If you aren't familiar with this painting, it is a picture of a group of people, dressed in clothing depicting their varying nationalities. Most of them have their heads bowed in some sense, as if they are all looking toward something. At the bottom of the picture are the words, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I bought the poster at the United Nations. But before the poster, I saw it for real. Someone has actually installed a mosaic of this painting on a huge wall inside the UN. You could really look at it for a long time, each tile so intricately laid in its right place. It's fascinating really.
When I think about God's plan for me, and for all of humanity, I think about that mosaic. It's one of the best mosaics I've ever seen up close. But just think, what if a big chunk of tiles were missing from it? It wouldn't look the same. It would still be art, but something would be missing. But what if---what if ONE single tile were missing? Would that make a difference worth noting? It would if it were part of an eye, a cheek, a chin, a hand, a piece of clothing. There would be a hole that no other tile would match color-wise. And this is how God feels about us. He valued our relationship with Him so much that He was willing to sacrifice His son so that we can be part of His ultimate story. So that we can be part of his magnum opus---His great work. And I definitely do not want to miss out on that. Do you?
If you want to check out the mosaic, here's a link:
http://www.gcms.k12.il.us/gcmsms/art/art%20appreciation/rockwell.jpg
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I love this...the mosaic is awesome too!
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