SEPARATED
We come into this world separated from God (no wonder we cry so). Somehow, though, we recognize a glimpse of Him and understand who He is – what He is: love. Felt in the warm embrace of a new mother or the proud look of a new father, we sense that a part of Him is all around us. We take such joy from seeing a flower, or a bird or a seemingly endless supply of the wonders of His creation. We have no inhibitions, no doubts that He is here. We have everything we need – if we only ask. We are surrounded by love and all is right in our world.
Then something happens. As we grow and learn and experience more of life we begin to see that evil also exists. We my not call it that, but we see it nonetheless. Harsh judgments, hurt feelings, and distrust come to us or to those around us, and we feel the heaviness of a heart burdened by sin. Now good and evil exist side by side, and sometimes it is hard to determine which is which. Truth becomes complicated with questions like “what if”? And “why”? Suddenly there are as many differing opinions as there are people who give them voice. Nothing is clear-cut. Nothing is absolute. We have to decide what we believe is right and wrong, and the extent to which we are willing to participate in either one. We miss those glimpses.
With our heart so burdened and our sight so clouded, we can’t find a balance in our own philosophies. Still, we rush headlong into life - dizzy and reeling from the uncertainty of it all. We witness a life filled with sorrow and pain – and see a person desperately seeking joy anywhere they can find it, even if the high is temporary. We watch someone mocked and put down as “not cool” – and see person downcast and depressed because their value as a person is non-existent. We learn of another abandoned and left to fend for themselves and die – and we see a person become bitter - angry because they have never experienced real love.
Praise God that the reverse is also true. We witness a life filled with sorrow and pain – and we see a believer have joy and peace throughout. We watch someone mocked and put down as not cool – and see a believer calm and confident about their value in Christ. We learn of another who has been abandoned and left to fend for themselves or die – and see a new believer as the result of the loving caring provision of another.
Thankfully, we are not alone. The longing for God is the one thing we share with every other person ever born. God put it in our hearts to know Him. He is ever present, whether we see Him or not. He has put eternity in our hearts (through the Holy Spirit) to constantly remind us to seek diligently the God of our salvation and to live to share Him with everyone we meet. The more we learn, the more we experience, the more we know that Truth is found only in Him. So –
“Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD;
His appearing is as sure as the dawn;
He will come to us like the showers,
Like the spring rains that water the earth.”
(Hosea 6: 3)