That was a tremendously deep sleep... I feel like I've awaken from another lifetime. Reality; it seemed like the dream. For just a second, I was an old man full of the wisdom and character that comes from a long life lived out in full. But, just as the peace of my long lived life came upon me, it escaped my grasp. There and gone, like a shooting star across the night sky. And no easier to keep hold of at that. The me I always hoped to become, and somehow already was, fell away. In that satisfied old man's place my former yet familiar self came back into focus. And with him the all to real foolishness, fear, pride, and uncertainty. I want back the tenderness, joy, and peace of the man I was in that other lifetime. That man I desire to one day be. In part, I want sleep to return to me so that I may transform back. However, I'm reluctantly resisting. If I want to truly become him, I must
dedicate and discipline myself in this world, rather than grasp at strings in a world that never really was to begin with.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Deeper Truth of a Growing Plant
Biology tells us that plant life stretches upward in search of the sun and its light. It’s somewhat poetic to say the least: a definite testament to the persistence of life. The fact that plants constantly seek out a means of staying in existence is inspiring.
I think we’re missing the deeper reality though. Trees, and flowers, and blades of grass; they aren’t seeking self preservation. They are instead, in their upward stretches, grasping for God. Raised in constant worship to Him, they are unconcerned with their own life and how they might gain sustenance. Plants simply align every fiber to stretching closer to God's presence. And, in seeking after him, life is gained.
This all seems like a contradiction at first; how could they survive, if not focused on survival? But consider for a moment the manner in which they were made. All life is an outflowing of God’s love between the Father and Son. This love has gone on since the beginning of eternity. It was, and is, so unfathomably deep that God poured it out in the form of creation. And being born of God's love, all created things long to be reunited with the presence of His love. It is in this love that all life is given, because it was in this love that all life was created in the first place.
So the trees and flowers grow toward Him. These simplest forms of life have one thought, one purpose: to glorify God in his perfect and overwhelming love. In this natural worship, they get ever closer to his presence. And, by the very nature of God, who is the origin of all life, they gain life in abundance. They gain life not because they choose to, but because of how God created them. God loves His creation, and creates it to worship Him.
This is not out of a need on God's behalf. He is self sufficient and has been since the beginning of time. He gains nothing (except joy) from his creation, but creation gains everything from him. Apart from Him, creation cannot exist. And not just in an origins sense. Creation is sustained through Him and Him alone. Sure, plants need sunlight. But who told every ray of sunshine where it should land? And, plants need water and nutrients. But who created every molecule of hydrogen and oxygen, of carbon and nitrogen? Furthermore, who guided these elements to favorable locations so these plants could even access and make use of them? And, who took great care in providing Earth as a home? Who keeps the Earth and universe in constant balance to even make life possible? God of course, who gets absolutely nothing in return. It’s his abundant and limitless love (which is perfect, and as such, completely selfless), that drives everything.
So, even these mindless uncomplicated forms of basic life are constantly striving upward in testament to the provision and deep love of God. We on the other hand, are not so simple. We think, we reason, we move, we choose, we share, we experience emotion. We are altogether a much more thought out form of life, with much more love and care taken in our creation. We as humans are the life created with the most love; we have the privilege gaining life most abundantly from God because of this. And with that, we are also the creation best equipped to glorify God. We have been made, more than anything else in existence, to WORSHIP God.
There’s a big problem though:
We’re b r o k e n.
And not only that, our brokenness spreads like a disease to all of creation. In us having not acted in the way we were created to, we have severed the direct link to God not only for ourselves, but for the entire Earth. Despite all of existence aching for the presence and union of God, it gets mere shadows of the life it once had in Him. Though not entirely severed, the pipeline to God has become mutilated. Life is still obtainable, but limited. Destruction, pain, suffering, death; these have become the norm. A blade of grass still reaches out to God, but reaches out in desperation.
However…
God, out of His very love for His creation, DIED so it may be fixed of its brokenness. He stepped down into the world he created, and became man. He became the very thing that attempted to live outside His love. But, calling himself the Son, he remained perfectly in love even to his death. But, being perfect in love, death could not hold Him, and he rose again. In doing so, he created a cure for the disease. A good infection of life and love. Spreading in much the same way brokenness did before it, it began to cover the death…and suffering… and pain… and destruction. Because God knew the only hope we have is to return to Him. He, being the source of life, must be active in our lives. Otherwise, our life is lost. And we, being the origin of the disease, are also the first to be cured. And so, through us being washed clean, the rest of existence also gets washed.
Most of us don’t grasp the fact that our only shot at happiness – and even more our only shot at life – is aligning ourselves with God and accepting that he has redeemed us. Even further, the only hope for any life anywhere lies in our acceptance of Him. In his death we were mended and can once again worship him along with the rest of creation like we were always meant to. The simplest of plants have hope of restoration, and raise themselves in worship. All the rest of creation understands along with them, and does the same. We, being the highest forms of life and creation, need to take the hint: to gain any and all life we absolutely must..
Align every fiber of our being toward the Son!
I think we’re missing the deeper reality though. Trees, and flowers, and blades of grass; they aren’t seeking self preservation. They are instead, in their upward stretches, grasping for God. Raised in constant worship to Him, they are unconcerned with their own life and how they might gain sustenance. Plants simply align every fiber to stretching closer to God's presence. And, in seeking after him, life is gained.
This all seems like a contradiction at first; how could they survive, if not focused on survival? But consider for a moment the manner in which they were made. All life is an outflowing of God’s love between the Father and Son. This love has gone on since the beginning of eternity. It was, and is, so unfathomably deep that God poured it out in the form of creation. And being born of God's love, all created things long to be reunited with the presence of His love. It is in this love that all life is given, because it was in this love that all life was created in the first place.
So the trees and flowers grow toward Him. These simplest forms of life have one thought, one purpose: to glorify God in his perfect and overwhelming love. In this natural worship, they get ever closer to his presence. And, by the very nature of God, who is the origin of all life, they gain life in abundance. They gain life not because they choose to, but because of how God created them. God loves His creation, and creates it to worship Him.
This is not out of a need on God's behalf. He is self sufficient and has been since the beginning of time. He gains nothing (except joy) from his creation, but creation gains everything from him. Apart from Him, creation cannot exist. And not just in an origins sense. Creation is sustained through Him and Him alone. Sure, plants need sunlight. But who told every ray of sunshine where it should land? And, plants need water and nutrients. But who created every molecule of hydrogen and oxygen, of carbon and nitrogen? Furthermore, who guided these elements to favorable locations so these plants could even access and make use of them? And, who took great care in providing Earth as a home? Who keeps the Earth and universe in constant balance to even make life possible? God of course, who gets absolutely nothing in return. It’s his abundant and limitless love (which is perfect, and as such, completely selfless), that drives everything.
So, even these mindless uncomplicated forms of basic life are constantly striving upward in testament to the provision and deep love of God. We on the other hand, are not so simple. We think, we reason, we move, we choose, we share, we experience emotion. We are altogether a much more thought out form of life, with much more love and care taken in our creation. We as humans are the life created with the most love; we have the privilege gaining life most abundantly from God because of this. And with that, we are also the creation best equipped to glorify God. We have been made, more than anything else in existence, to WORSHIP God.
There’s a big problem though:
We’re b r o k e n.
And not only that, our brokenness spreads like a disease to all of creation. In us having not acted in the way we were created to, we have severed the direct link to God not only for ourselves, but for the entire Earth. Despite all of existence aching for the presence and union of God, it gets mere shadows of the life it once had in Him. Though not entirely severed, the pipeline to God has become mutilated. Life is still obtainable, but limited. Destruction, pain, suffering, death; these have become the norm. A blade of grass still reaches out to God, but reaches out in desperation.
However…
God, out of His very love for His creation, DIED so it may be fixed of its brokenness. He stepped down into the world he created, and became man. He became the very thing that attempted to live outside His love. But, calling himself the Son, he remained perfectly in love even to his death. But, being perfect in love, death could not hold Him, and he rose again. In doing so, he created a cure for the disease. A good infection of life and love. Spreading in much the same way brokenness did before it, it began to cover the death…and suffering… and pain… and destruction. Because God knew the only hope we have is to return to Him. He, being the source of life, must be active in our lives. Otherwise, our life is lost. And we, being the origin of the disease, are also the first to be cured. And so, through us being washed clean, the rest of existence also gets washed.
Most of us don’t grasp the fact that our only shot at happiness – and even more our only shot at life – is aligning ourselves with God and accepting that he has redeemed us. Even further, the only hope for any life anywhere lies in our acceptance of Him. In his death we were mended and can once again worship him along with the rest of creation like we were always meant to. The simplest of plants have hope of restoration, and raise themselves in worship. All the rest of creation understands along with them, and does the same. We, being the highest forms of life and creation, need to take the hint: to gain any and all life we absolutely must..
Align every fiber of our being toward the Son!
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