18 November 2011

Consuming life

I just enjoyed an enlivened discussion with my wife.  One of the focal points in our conversation focused around the candles by which we ate. 

Although both candles were roughly the same height when we began dinner, one burned much more emphatically than the other.  The traits I noticed though centered around how the faster burning candle spread out more than the traditional, ridigid one. 

The faster burning candle was brighter, spread its warmth and coverage more, and at one point built a wax column above th flame, as if the focal point was what it left as an imprint.  The other candle, while consistent, was non-descript in its action. 

So at the end of the day, which candle would you rather be and have reflect your life?

16 November 2011

Handicapping Life

 Isn't it great to live a perfect life?  I mean for most of us we don't have physical or mental issues that limit us from participating in life.  We might have the simple malidies of poor eyesight or lessening hearing, but we're whole.  We're not afflicted like those poor unfortunate people who are, you know a little lesser than us. 

I mean it's not that we look really down on them.  We're just so sorry that they're a little short of "whole" like us.  They suffered some tragic accident or lost all of one of their senses, so you know, they really can't enjoy life like us right? 

Those poor people who are just a little less than the perfect we have in our mind, and our physical being, and certainly in our lifestyle.  You know, we don't want to handicap ourselves either by choosing something strange or looking a little odd from everyone else.  We don't really want to carry that baggage, you know that handicap with us. 

One of the members of our Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF) class lost their eyesight.  They would not be able to see their children grow up or enjoy the beauty of this earth.  I mean they were only left with discovering, with uncovering, with now "seeing" the beauty of Christ.  Through this ordeal they have learned through faith, what really "seeing" God is like. 

Or how about a young woman, who tragically becomes a quadriplegic.  Surely, she must realize that she's, you know unfortunately, just not whole like me.  She probably must feel bitterness at realizing that her life is just going to, you know, go to waste?  Right.  So someone go tell Joni Eareckson Tada to stop living an inspired life, built on her realizing God had greater plans than how he would use a "whole" person. 

Well, what about the promising artist who has it all?  You know the genius who suffers a completely debilitating problem.  They must thrown in the towel and give it up at the sign of difficulty, right?  Anyone listen to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony lately?  He composed it while being completely deaf.  It is said he overcame the issue of lost hearing by sawing the legs from his piano and going from the vibration the sound made through the floor.  Talk about being "moved" by music. 

The truth of the matter is we all have handicaps.  The unfortunate thing is many of us see ourselves as so perfect, we can't appreciate how God can polish those flaws and so we keep ourselves from reaching His purpose because, you know, we don't see ourselves as having flaws to fix, and we don't even realize how that handicaps us. 

The following is a song link to a song that speaks of how when we stand in God, admitting our weaknesses, it really makes us stronger.  There is though also a very special scene in the video.  Watch carefully for a little boy who is standing in the wings on a stage, and when the curtain goes up, and he sees the brilliant stage lights in their glory shine, it amazes him and draws him to the light. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJxrX42WcjQ&ob=av3e

Now imagine that one minute you are here on earth and the next, within the blink of an eye you are standing in the brilliant presence of God.  That is the promise for the Christian who beleives in Christ.  Some we know and love dearly proceed us into that realm, and where we morn their passing, we also need to see how God will and can carry us through that handicap.  Sometimes it just comes at a terrible price for us. 

Sincerely, gene
11/16/07