May 21

Written by: tim
5/21/2010 2:18 PM 

I am curious by nature, most of us are.  I remember being a young boy and dreaming about space.  I used to think about bouncing around the planets, being able to visit them all, what they would feel like, how they might look close up or what smells would be there.  My imagination wasn't very scientific but it was fun and in many senses curiosity has stayed with me. 

Why do people behave the way they do?

Why, after 13 years of marriage, do I still miss my wife's cues sometimes?  (Although I think I'm getting better.)  And more importantly, how exactly did God know that we need each other?

How big is God?

Will eternity feel like "forever" or will I care?

It is this same curiosity that compels me to interact with the news.  I don't know how much it impacts my life on a day by day basis but I have this desire to know what is going on.  I think that I've been taking in the news in the same way a man looks out of his front window and sees what is going on outside.  Much of it is sad, some of it is compelling and occasionally it is useful but the stories are all out there.  The paper, the broadcast and the internet are all "windows" into this intricate and busy world that we live in.

Recently I've found myself seeing reflections, not windows, throughout the various reports.  It's not that I have all of these shared experiences with people but I am realizing that I have much more in common than I am always comfortable with.  I might read a story about a murder and think, "I could never take someone's life like that."  I believe that I wouldn't but Jesus connects murder with hate, and I think I've been in that neighborhood before.  I hear about a serial killer and think "monster".  True enough, although I wonder how beatiful any of us would look if our innermost thoughts were revealed.  Looking at the mirror is more painful than the window.  It's not just about the bad guys; I read stories about poverty, battles lost to cancer, people falsely accused or those who have endured massive loss.  The window provides safety but the mirror brings the story into my home and at times into my own heart.

I'm not suggesting that I personalize everything or that I should, rather I am sharing with you part of how God teaches me and reminds me of my place in His kingdom and how I got here.  The window allows me the freedom to say "Idiot!" "Guilty." "Fool." "Thug!" and the mirror simply draws me to my knees.  It's not a matter of correction but one of perception.

I am curious. 

Curious at the magnificent grace shown to humanity... including me.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:6-10 (NIV)

Why is my life blessed the way it is?  I don't know... just grace.

Why do have confidence to enter into Christ's presence?  Grace.

Why am I unafraid?  Grace.

Why does Jesus love me without reason?   Still the same answer... just grace.