Interruption Glimpse

I'm doing my best to be faithful to the Parable of the Knee saga. It was and is an amazing journey learning about the Lord in this particular health issue. The problem is that God is not limited to only one area of my life, nor is He limited in time or space. That means that while I'm trying to relate the glimpses He's giving me of who He is and how He works in the lives of His people from my knee experience, God continues to open other areas of my life and offer me glimpses into His loving presence and wonderful ways.

I've been thinking about using the term Interruption Glimpse for these little asides that appear to be cropping up. In one way I don't like it because it implies a disruption of the normal flow of things. That has a negative aspect to it that I'd like to avoid. On the other hand, when God shows Himself in a powerful way it certainly is an interruption to the daily routine. When the angel came to tell Mary that she was going to have a baby, it could easily have been seen as an interruption in her day. My paperback dictionary says that "to interrupt" means "to break in upon an action."

Well, I want God to break in upon the actions I witness in this fallen world. I praise and thank Him for the times He shows Himself in such a way that it stands out in mighty contrast to the confusion and insanity that goes on around me. Every tiny peek He brings to my attention catches me up and reminds me that He is there and this is not all there is. Hallelujah!

Oh, how I long for the day when I will be able to set my eyes on the Lord to such a degree that the things of this life would become the interruptions. I want to be so close to my Father that it is His perspective that I see as I make my way through my days.

Back to the Glimpse:
Last night at Ladies Bible study we were treated to a visual representation of the call God places on our lives and a glimpse of the way He uses us. It wasn't a complicated process yet I'm not sure any of us who were there were able to grasp the full extent of what He showed us.

First the main business of the meeting was completed; offering the welcome, making some announcements, passing out the books, and reviewing the guidelines. Then a brief outline of the truths found in Matthew 5:14-16 was given. When the speaker turned out the lights, the ladies began to wonder, but when the candle in the center of the table was blown out they were on high alert. What was going on?

The speaker pointed out that the late-September night that invaded the room was a good example of the darkness of the world in which those outside of Christ must live. Without God there is no true light. As everyone's eyes adjusted to the dark it was noted that there was a bit of light shining in one corner. The speaker had carefully set a light source in an adjoining room with a small window in its door. The source of the light was out of sight though so none of the ladies could figure out any of the details about it - where it was exactly, what type of light it was, what it looked like, etc. The ladies were thankful that the room wasn't pitch black, but they were encouraged to stay in their seats because the light was insufficient to allow them to move around safely. This scenario was a good example of a question that is often asked, "How do people without the Lord make their way in this world?"

The speaker then went over and opened the door to the adjoining room. The light was more obvious at this point and the ladies were able to make some observations. They decided that the source couldn't have a shade on it because its rays were quite glaring. They could tell it was set in the corner because they still couldn't see it directly. But they were still unable to figure out the rest of the details about where it was exactly, what type of light it was, what it looked like, etc. The ladies were able to relax a bit with the increased light. They could make out the general layout of the room and the people in it. However, it was still too dark to move around easily or even clearly see each other's faces. It was certainly too dark to be able to read or do any detail work. This setting was a good example of so many people's lives who stumble around in the darkness. They have some sense of what's out there, but cannot make their way because they can't make out the details.

Finally, the speaker took a mirror and held it in such a way that the rays from the light source were directed at the ladies gathered at the table. Though it took their eyes a minute to adjust to so much light in the darkness, they were finally able to describe its source. The small wrought iron electric lamp was sitting on a child-size blue chair. It had a regular shaped bulb but no lampshade. They could not see the lamp directly, but were able to discern these truths because of the reflection provided by the mirror. The mirror also provided sufficient light for the ladies to clearly see each other's faces. Those who were in the direct line of the reflection could easily have gotten up and moved safely toward the speaker who held the mirror. Oh, what a wonderful example of the way God reveals Himself to us and the power and confidence we have to share Him with others.

The Scriptures are filled with references to God being the source of light, among them 1 John 1:5. As Creator, God spoke and the heavenly lights came into being, Genesis 1:3. Psalm 27:1 tells us, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?" Jesus, His one and only Son, declares in John 8:12, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

God made Man in His image, therefore we are able to reflect His image of light. As long as we remain in our sin that imageness is tarnished and the reflection is fatally flawed. When we come to God in humility, asking forgiveness, He applies the blood of His Son to clear our debt. God clothes us in the breastplate of the righteousness of Christ, a reflecting surface . Just as the mirror in the demonstration was able to bring details of the source of light to the ladies in the adjoining room, so those clothed in Christ's righteouenss are able to bring details of who God is and how He cares for His people to those living in darkness. As we bask in His presence we are more able to reflect the true Light of life.

Let me quickly add a couple of observations here about the mirror in this demonstration.

• The mirror on its own was just a piece of glass with fancy backing. It had to be in the presence of the light source to be useful.
  
• The mirror had no value by itself. Its basic use and purpose was to simply re-direct the light energy from its source.
  
• The mirror couldn't position itself to be effective. The speaker had to set the mirror at the proper angle to send the reflecting rays into the dark room.
• Although the lamp was sufficient to light up the whole room, the mirror was not able to reflect enough light to illuminate the entire room where the ladies were gathered. The mirror provided information about the lamp, but the ladies needed the lamp itself to be able to function fully.

The mirror has a lot to say. We don't need to be doing a lot of "gymnastics" to show people who God is. We don't need to be theological giants to tell people what God has done. All we need to do is sit in God's presence and bask in His light. Then, as we go through our days we will walk in the light of our Lord. Isaiah 2:5 The Holy Spirit will set us in position and we will reflect the Light of the world to those sitting in darkness. Amen

I'm sure as you ponder the various aspects of this demonstration the Holy Spirit will show you a number of other truths represented here. Feel free to share them with me for my edification and/or the edification of others.