Hey this is a post that I wrote a couple months ago, I don't know why I didn't post it but this little treasure is something for each of you to enjoy. I'm back baby, speak to yall soon.
As I have been treking my way through the Psalms I have realized so many new feelings and possibilities when it comes to dealing with affliction. In just about every Psalm David is crying out to God for help or a reminder at least that God has not forgot him. Seeing David in his agony and attempting to understand why he was writing this, I have come to understand maybe just a little bit better, this mess that we like to call life.
I don't want to say this is a formula but just a trend that I have noticed within my own personal life as well as others that I haved observed or shared this idea with. When we feel like the world is dumping on us and we don't know why, the big picture of our lives seems to get smaller and smaller. And those quick fixes or fast pleasures seem so valid within our lives. We see something that will take the pain away at least for a little bit of time and that is attractive to us. We forget that our sin, our world since the fall of man has always been about pain with a hint of pleasure. I once heard someone refer to the effects of sin like a mirror. We were made to glorify God, to mirror God's greatness, why do you think we were made in His image?
Man used to have an intimate relationship with God, that is until we made the conscious choice that a relationship with God was not enough. We were not satisfied in purely resembling the image of God, we wanted to be like God. This I feel was the first yearning for scientific discovery, Man wanted to understand it all. Before the fall we understood good but had no idea that evil could exist within the world. We had to know what else could be out ther and needless to say we are still chewing what Adam had bitten off. We lost that connection with God, we were no long able to be around each other. That doesn't mean we never stopped looking for that feeling we had when we were connected with Him. Instead of seeing God however all that we see is our own image and somewhere within each of us we are mocked by it.
The image of God is still present within the mirror, but instead of finding joy in our reflection all we see is the imperfections that sin has left marked over our lives. Our emberassments come flooding back and we are forced to relive our shame. I suppose that is why we try to find anything and everything to cope with the pain. When all we can see is our imprefections and emberassments the world can seem a very small place and we feel that since we have knowledge of good and evil now we can predict what is best for ourselves, and that just digs the hole deeper and deeper.
I have found that within affliction and tragedy that we encounter is that when we cry out, when we have had enough of carrying out own burden and ask God to aleviate just a little bit, we are the most honest not only with ourselves but with God. It is not until that serene moment of humility hits us however that we are willing to accept the truth, we are willing to open the curtain and see God. The problem with truth however is that it will most of the time come with at least a very painful taste to it. I think that is because the perfection that truth embodies is something that we are not prepared within our current state. We see that perfection in front of us and suddenly we are looking in the mirror again, seeing every single imperfection and flaw within ourselves. Our sin pulls to the forefront and we are reminded of the loss. It is in this most honest state then that we are willing to accept what God has prepared for us.
Are we willing to accept the bitter taste of truth so that we can become closer to the one whose image we bear?
Are we willing to see past our humanity to that image of God that lies within each of us?
Are we willing to remember that because we carry that image that we have a indelible purpose on this Earth?
I am, are you?
Cj- out
