This summer I lead Maya and 8 of her sweet lil friends in a Bible study on the Fruits of the Spirit. It was an amazingly rewarding experience – as you can imagine. But, on one of the study days I was asked a question that has truly stayed with me…and left me realizing that it truly is the question we ALL have, not just sweet lil girls.
I was teaching them on “peace” and shared the story of Peter walking on water…only sinking when he focused on his troubles (the waves) and not on Christ. Showing them that there is a way to achieve peace in the madness of real life. It's our God. What a story of peace, eh? One sweet lil girl put her finger on her nose (our version of “raising your hand”) and asked me:
“But how do we keep our eyes on Jesus when
He’s not here to see with our eyes?”
Whoa Nelly. Big thoughts from a lil girl. Little did she know, that she was asking the question that we all have in some way. And so it hasn’t left me.
How do we see Him? How do we look to Him – right where we are?
Of course I attacked the question quickly in generic Christian-eze of: "the Bible is our way to know Him" and "seeing Christ in others' actions/lives'" and "prayer is our direct line to Him". But the question just won't leave me.
How do I keep my eyes on Him when He's hard to see? How do I look to Him in my own storms when there is no clear picture of Him motioning me forward?
And so I ask you – how do you? I'm curious…how would you answer that Q?
lb
oh my oh my. Our family is living this right now. Such future uncertainty. (oh how I wish I could tell all…someday soon i hope) Big life changing decisions are happening and we are jumping into an unknown- yet for sure with faith- into a direction we can’t see- but know HE will be there to catch us. I ask this question daily- (Am I who I want to be? for HIM)- we pray daily for direction, read HIS word daily, plug in to believers that know the unknown-unnamed jumping- and ask them to pray for us- and jump with eyes wide open into the arms of God. For we have to believe by faith that HE is begging us to join HIM on this big adventure. He is not safe, but HE is good. Not an easy question to answer- but to know that HE will not ask us to jump if HIS arms are not there to catch us- just like the little kid on the side of the pool wanting to jump to the parent, but to scared to know that the parent will catch him and not let him drown. Indeed big thoughts for such a little one- an old soul.