Ants.


 A few years ago I was at a church picnic. It was at first a very beautiful day. On the horizon dark clouds started to gather and before long we could see a storm was gathering. My eye was captured by some ants. The large kind found in west Texas and they were, as ants usually are, scurrying about doing whatever it is that ants do. 


A thought came to me as I began to think about the impending deluge and how the ants just kept busy doing ant work. In a few moments they would be swept away by the downpour. They seemed unconcerned or maybe just indifferent. I thought about how I could somehow warn them of the danger just ahead. I realized then that the only way to be effective was to become an ant myself and then tell them to get up to higher ground quickly.


Of course this was simply an impossibility for me. As much as I wish I could transform myself into an ant there was still no guarantee that they would even listen to me. In fact they may even turn against me and completely reject my warnings. 


Christmas is about God coming to us as a human being in the person of his son, Jesus Christ. He came to warn us from impending doom. On the most part we turned against him, rejected his message, and crucified him. Three days later God raised him from the dead! 


Why did he do that? Why did he have to come down? Why did he have to suffer? Love. He did it because of his great love. He came to show us how to live on higher ground above the danger and beyond the grasp of despair. When I think of everything he did for me there is no other way I can fully respond but to be full of joy! To know how much I am loved and valued. To understand that I am not invisible to him. My heart bursts with joy at the thought. Love came down and rescued me. This is the reason for my joy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
     A beautifully honest prayer. No one likes to feel vulnerable. If you have felt the brutal pain of betrayal, the almost inconsolable ache of rejection, or the frequent pangs of desperation and self-loathing then you know how truly difficult it is to become vulnerable again. We prefer the safety of withdrawal, the security of isolation and the warmth of silence.      We feel safe. We will eventually find that to truly love and be loved we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable. There is no love without vulnerability. As Christ followers we are committed to living out this life of faith and love. The first one to whom we must become utterly vulnerable to is our Heavenly Father.      He will never betray us, abuse us, diminish us, nor abandon us. He already knows everything about us and not only loves us but he likes us too! His overwhelming love draws us closer to him. He woos us to himself. He invites us to an honest relationship with himself. No hiding, no masks, no illusions. It is
Read more
Image
     Every commercial is a temptation, an enticement, a lure, to purchase a product or service. It’s the newest, better, car model. It’s the faster, lighter laptop or the quicker cheaper service guaranteed! Like all enticements they come with a promise of fulfillment, satisfaction, and peace of mind. We convince ourselves, and at times our significant other, just how much we actually need it. How our lives would be bettered by it. Maybe even how we would save both time and money!      The allurement to sin is much the same as a commercial. It tells us first how miserable we are without it. It tells how much better it will be once we have it. Like a politician it promises way more than it can ever deliver. Truth be told sin is fun but only for a very short moment. Then comes the shame, the guilt, the sleepless nights, the thought of getting found out, the thought of trying to explain the why of it all.      Then comes the blame game because it really wasn’t our fault. Someone else made
Read more
Image
     I always forget something whenever we take an out of town trip. It never fails. I’m getting better but still something is left out. There’s just so many things to remember. Now with all of our electronic devices, chargers, headphones, iPad, Apple Watch, iPhones, and the list goes on! Remember how easy it was when you were a kid and your parents worried about all that packing? All you had to do was jump in the car and wait for a snack and enjoy the ride.      Man, those easy carefree times are gone and they don’t come back even when you’re an empty nester. Just packing for ourselves is a chore. At least we still get a snack on the road trip. Life is hard but God is so good. We go through many different times and seasons both the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yet through all of our earthly travels God proves to be our resource for every part of that journey. We often forget to pack the right essentials for what life throws at us in these seasons.      Often we pack the wrong things.
Read more