Monday, August 4, 2008
Rafiki 's Advice, August 4, 2008
Rafiki, the wise baboon in Lion King had some great advice for Timon, the merkaat, who almost got his buddies eaten by the evil hyenas. When devastation and danger is all around, he told Timon, "Look beyond what you can see."
We can be very short sighted about how we see our lives. Illness, broken marriages, violence, unemployment are right before our eyes everywhere, preying on us, ready to gobble up our joy and our security. All the evening news is "bad news." I hear everyone bellyaching about having to pay $2 for a soft drink on the airplane now, as airlines are getting eaten alive by rising gas costs. What we see is what we get, right?
Wrong! We're not looking hard enough, far enough deep enough. I think we're myopic about our lives, missing the blessings just beyond our noses. We see the world through dark glasses. I was window shopping yesterday in a pair of green tinted sunglasses that distorted the colors of the clothes I was looking at. I didn't know the difference until my husband commented on the "fluorescent green T-shirt" that to me looked a dingy gray.
That's the way we see life, without God.
If we look beyond what we can see, we'll see God and God's promises, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a future..." (Jer. 29:11). We'll see paradise, eternal in the heavens. We'll see Jesus, standing guard over our lives, redeeming our past, and giving us a future. We'll see Jesus, leading us beyond our pain and suffering, to wholeness. We'll see the purpose God has given us - to help others through their circumstances, and to find Jesus. Maybe not in this life, but in the life beyond, we shall see only glory. How much this rings true as I stand at the bedside of a dying believer. Can you see it?
I pray we will look beyond our circumstances today, and see the beautiful life God has assured us in Christ, now and in eternity.
When I think about it, who really NEEDS a soft drink on a 2 hour flight? I can save myself a trip to that tiny bathroom.
We can be very short sighted about how we see our lives. Illness, broken marriages, violence, unemployment are right before our eyes everywhere, preying on us, ready to gobble up our joy and our security. All the evening news is "bad news." I hear everyone bellyaching about having to pay $2 for a soft drink on the airplane now, as airlines are getting eaten alive by rising gas costs. What we see is what we get, right?
Wrong! We're not looking hard enough, far enough deep enough. I think we're myopic about our lives, missing the blessings just beyond our noses. We see the world through dark glasses. I was window shopping yesterday in a pair of green tinted sunglasses that distorted the colors of the clothes I was looking at. I didn't know the difference until my husband commented on the "fluorescent green T-shirt" that to me looked a dingy gray.
That's the way we see life, without God.
If we look beyond what we can see, we'll see God and God's promises, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a future..." (Jer. 29:11). We'll see paradise, eternal in the heavens. We'll see Jesus, standing guard over our lives, redeeming our past, and giving us a future. We'll see Jesus, leading us beyond our pain and suffering, to wholeness. We'll see the purpose God has given us - to help others through their circumstances, and to find Jesus. Maybe not in this life, but in the life beyond, we shall see only glory. How much this rings true as I stand at the bedside of a dying believer. Can you see it?
I pray we will look beyond our circumstances today, and see the beautiful life God has assured us in Christ, now and in eternity.
When I think about it, who really NEEDS a soft drink on a 2 hour flight? I can save myself a trip to that tiny bathroom.
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