Hebrews 11:1-3 - The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in
God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life
worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is
what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we
see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created
by what we don't see. (MSG)
I have a problem with judging
distance; I always have, as far as I know. Overall, this has not caused
too many problems, except for some with driving and parking -- to which
my family will attest! One of my biggest problems has always been with
parking ramps. I try to avoid them at all costs.
Recently, my mom
was in the hospital. The hospital has a parking ramp. On a couple of
days during the week, I had no choice but to park on the ramp. On the
first day, I cautiously approached the ramp, driving my van. The bar at
the entrance hangs at the seven-foot mark. My head knows that in most
ramp parking lots, my van will fit. My eyes, though, tell me a different
story. My eyes make me think that I will be bashing my way through -- if
I get in at all.
I have had to learn that my eyes are not always
my most accurate source of information. Sometimes, I need to lean on the
fact that there is more to something than what my eyes see. As I was
pulling into the ramp that first day, I was reminded that faith is often
like that, and I remembered today's verses from Hebrews. There are many
versions; basically, it boils down to the fact that faith is not based
on what we see. Faith is believing in what we don't/can't/won't see.
I realized that faith is much more firm and structured than I had
thought and had been feeling. Faith is what my heart knows, but my head
(logic) and my eyes try to convince me otherwise. We need to keep our
eyes and our hearts open for those little ways that God uses to let us
know that He's there.
Prayer: God, thank You for the times when
we are reminded that we can believe in what we may not always see with
our eyes. Thank You for little nudges that move us in the right
direction. You are a firm foundation for both our heads and our hearts.
Amen.
Karen Lynema
kjjal@PROTECTED
Allendale,
Michigan, USA
