This morning I woke up and started rattling off what I NEEDED to check off my to-do list before I head to work at noon. And unfortunately, writting and being a part of this blog fell into that list. As I started to go back through chapters 10-12 of Darrel, the first lines I reread that I had highlighted earlier hit me like a stone to the head. It was the glasses. I wear my own set of glasses, individual to myself, full of my own personal frame of reference on life in general, on the world around me, but most importantly how I interpret the world around me.
"The question then becomes: is my perception of reality accurate? Does my frame of reference square with the way things really are? Do my glasses focus reality? Or do they distort reality?
Things are not as they seem." (p. 130)
My glasses at this point in time have distorted my reality enough to turn everything into chaos. Completing my 3rd week into this semester at Long Beach while taking 19 units, and working, and blah blah blah blah blah! My excuses continue on and on as to why my glasses are so distorting the reality that John lays out for me in Revelation 4 and 5 as well as the reality that I very well know from God.
"Chaos will not win! Before the throne chaos is stilled, chaos is subdued." (p. 137)
My challenge for myself this upcoming week is to allow Yahweh to shape and mold my glasses. I hear God's cry to subdue the me-created chaos in my life and this week I want to allow my heart to listen and learn. I want to grow my reality more into the reality in which Revelation 4 describes.
Darrel says it best, "With ordinary glasses we only give ourselves to other vocations, which although meaningful and challenging, are beneath our dignity. But looking through the lens of Revelation 4 we realize that the great end of life is knowing, and loving, and serving, and enjoying the great King."
In Voyage of the Dawn Treader Lucy asks Aslan, "will you tell the way to get from our world to your world?". Aslan replies "I will be telling you all the time.". FYI - this is slightly paraphrased. Jen - your post reminded me of this. From my glassses to yours - cheers.
ReplyDeleteJen I hear, sorry cassidy, your words in the check off list! Last week I shared with my small group that in the study of Revelation somehow became something I... had to do... When I realize when this happens in my life I get frustrated. It is one of those things, where I KNEW what I needed to do to make this not seem so academic, being out of school for a few weeks has enticed me to be "studying" for the sake of studying... not the sake of relationship. BOO!!! Any who! I seriously busted up laughing when he wrote in chapter 12ish (i think) he said "This is where pastors stop preaching and we stop reading (Ch 6 of Rev.)" I was like... Ya it's getting pretty weird, and complicated!
ReplyDeleteI'm noticing this is very much a comment and I don't think I'm contributing... just truly commenting
I've enjoyed getting a new pair of lenses, in realizing my eyes were tired and strained of looking through the old ones, The trees are not just brown on the bottom with green blobs on top! Ones that are more focused! Much like the physical ones I wear to drive, Don't tell the DMV :)