Yes, I’ve been forced to slow down because of quarantine lifestyle but I don’t think I have ever been so mentally exhausted. The unrelenting COVID-19, the tragic displays of injustice topped off with the constant political bantering have worn me out. I’ve struggled for answers as to how our nation has gotten into the mess we are in and I’ve wondered if we can ever recover.
Today, in an effort to give it all a rest, I decided to focus on John 14:8-11 and all I could think was, “And once again, more questions than answers!”
Philip asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father….Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”
In this passage, Jesus also explained that every word He spoke was never just His own. Every deed accomplished was through the Father living within Him. Every miracle was a visible expression of the Father’s heart.
It’s the divine union. God is three—Father, Son and Holy Spirit while God is one. Mind boggling! I wrestled with this statement of faith for many years, probably starting when I was a teenager. I studied the explanations offered about all of the analogies found within nature (like water defined in 3 different forms—liquid, ice and steam…but still water) and they helped…sorta. I’ve considered that I myself am a trinity—body, soul and spirit. Yet I continued to “chew this same bone” until weary with the futility. So…I made the decision to accept this paradox as part of God’s incomprehensible nature and walk in faith that Jesus explained it as best as our minds can understand. I’m resting in the truth of the trinity—three, unified in one. Such a mindset is crucial to understanding everything else Jesus teaches in His last hours of life.
Moving forward…I will wear my mask. I will speak against injustice. I will refrain from engaging in the destructive slinging of words. And I will trust in the sovereignty of God. In fact, it is actually easier to “let go” of frustration with life’s ugly side when I acknowledge that our complex God is more than my little mind can fathom. Through the person of Jesus, God has revealed that He is all powerful, all wise, capable of miracles, compassionate, merciful, kind and …always, always good. That’s sufficient for my needs today!
Questions to ponder:
How does “being certain of what I cannot see” affect my day-to-day living? What are the rewards?
debponders 