7.1.10

Jesus Army - Frozen life

They say a picture can speak a thousand words, but a word may also paint a thousand pictures. I wonder what images the following epithets conjure up for you.

God. Jesus.
Holy fire. A people.
Humble friendship. Synergy.
Life.

It's a spiritual haiku of sorts, a condensed expression on the blessing of a Christian's life.

Often however, it's just too hard to sum things up. There are thoughts I've never spoken, essays I've never published, things I feel can't be understood unless you come real close, intimate enough to stare deeply.

But who takes the time to stop and stare?

Time passes while we remain ignorant to the myriad of beautiful things which grace our lives. We would witness treasures which could transform our souls if only we knew how to drink them in, not least the insurmountable value we should find in the lives of one another. I recently read that the reason God does not let us see each other the way He sees us is that, if we did, we would fall down and worship one another.

As a child I used to pretend to be asleep sometimes (don't we all?) But occasionally I did it because I wanted people to have a chance to see the real me. When we are at peace it gives others a chance to observe how amazing we all are, and I thought maybe other people might be able to experience that about me - a strange thought I know. But unless everything is still just for an instant, unless everything in the world around us is frozen, we rarely get the chance to see how incredibly wonderful and deeply inspiring it all is.

Kirkegaard commented that, "Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it."

I have found that it is often our nearest, dearest companions, who are the key to helping us pause and perceive how sacred life is. We don't need to be voyeurs to become enchanted, we just need to have the ability to stop and listen to their words.