The windshield on the van is broken. It has been broken for quite a while now. While driving in heavy fog recently the only thing I 
could see was the crack in the windshield. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the road, which was difficult enough with all the fog, the broken windshield became the focus.
Life seems to follow this pattern as well. When things are difficult and the road ahead is hard to see or understand, the focus becomes everything that is wrong. It is easy to lose sight of anything beyond the crack and the fog.
“But sin has so clouded the lenses of our hearts that we cannot see that other reality, the City of God, shining around us. … The visible becomes the enemy of the invisible; the temporal, of the eternal.” 1
Later the same day I crested a hill and the view below 
is clear. No longer am I drawn to the crack, just the scenery. I took in the hills covered with multi-colored trees and the pale blue sky. The crack seemed to fade away as I focused on the beauty ahead.
“God and the spiritual world are real. We can reckon upon them with as much assurance as we reckon upon the familiar world around us. Spiritual things are there (or rather we should say here) inviting our attention and challenging our trust.” 1
When life is flowing smoothly the beauty is obvious. It becomes easy to focus on the blessings of each day. Just as the fog lifts, my spirit rises and feels free to enjoy life.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
The fact that there was more fog ahead did not escape notice. I thought back to a text from a friend to the effect, have you ever noticed how the fog magnifies the light? Everything in the circle of light becomes clear.
“…we must break the evil habit of ignoring the spiritual. We must shift our interest from the seen to the unseen. For the great unseen Reality is God.” 1
Whatever comes I must look past the crack. Seeing the light magnified in the fog and living free focusing on the beauty and blessings. There is far more to life – there is eternity to keep before me – and eternity is lived today.
“O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good. Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen.” 2
____________________________________________
1 Tozer, A. W. (Aiden Wilson) (2011-03-24). The Pursuit of God (p. 33-34). Kindle Edition.
2 Tozer, A. W. (Aiden Wilson) (2011-03-24). The Pursuit of God (p. 35). Kindle Edition.
2 comments:
Nancy, I can so relate to what you post here. It is easy to focus on the cracks. I am so thankful that there is something much better beyond the cracks!
Beautiful picture when the fog cleared. Where is that?
Mary - Just a small town here in Alabama where my husband drives through on his way to work. I always enjoy cresting that hill and being able to look across to the next range of hills.
Post a Comment