Discovery

Discovery

Grandlady Abi has always been scared of bugs. She would scream, cry and run away from the sight of a creepy crawly or a buzzing bomber. Lately, however, she has surprised us all with her fascination for all kinds of crawling bugs. Rolly pollys and centipedes are hunted down and collected by hand into containers. She watches them with a studious gaze and reports in great detail to any listening ear. Though Abi has always loved animals, this new discovery of the smallest of God’s creatures is amazing to watch. She is learning about herself and about the wonders of insect life.

Eugene Cernan was the astronaut chosen to leave the last footprint on the surface of the moon. I watched a documentary about him that unraveled the story of his journey through the space program and beyond, but it also told the personal side of life. The movie was informative and moving. He grew from a simple farm boy, to fighter pilot, to an astronaut, to only one of twelve men to walk on the moon.

The last trip to the moon was a mission to bring back moon rocks and explore as much of the landscape as possible via the Lunar Rover. The video from that day of discovery was so much fun to watch! “Gene” Cernan was having a great time on the moon. It seemed as if he frolicked and played while attending to his duties. He saw the handiwork of God and was amazed. I was having fun watching him. As he approached the LEM to leave the moon, he stopped to write his daughter’s initials in the moon dust. It would still be a long journey for him to learn about himself and the wonders of our world.

Exploration and discovery are the themes of these two stories. Each was learning and discovering things in a new way. In the same way, I was discovering something about God. I could sense His delight as He watched His children uncover the mysteries of the world He created just for us! He was watching Abi and “Gene” immersing themselves in the pleasure of the moment and I am sure He smiled!
I know that there is much more to discover. What can I uncover today about God? Myself? Creation? The list can go on for eternity! Yes, I think I will need a place where there is no end where my spirit, soul and body can experience the glory of the Lord!

Good Father, You are timeless and endless in discovery! I have too often remained in my shell where I feel safe. Forgive me for not looking far where I can be enticed to search for more of You! Thank You for making the world a place of amazing lessons. I want to be an explorer who reaches far beyond myself and touches you! Amen.

Is My Sin Showing?

Sin is a big word. We all have sin in our lives, but it is not something we proudly display, most of the time. We think we hide our sins fairly well, but then someone calls us out on what they see, and we go scrambling to stuff them back under the covers, hoping it will all disappear.

I remember clearly at the time when my sin of ingratitude was pointed out to me. I was grumbling and unhappy with everything in my life. My very patient and loving husband took me to McDonalds and let me complain for a long while. Finally, he said to me, “Care, your problem is that you are ungrateful.” I was speechless. Of course, I wouldn’t have named my unhappiness in that way, but lying there in the deepest part of me was the ravenous monster called Thanklessness. Even though my sin was disguised by my blame game, it was showing. Patrick did the right thing by shining a light into my darkness. It was time to deal with that fiend once and for all.

We all are sinners. We all fall short of the mark. We all would like to hide those failings from others. But in all my years, I have to admit that though I think I am covering over my sin, it still shows. Like a child who closes his eyes or hides under a blanket, thinking we can’t see them, it still shows.

Yes, some sins are easier to hide than others, and we are more desperate to hide some sins than others, but all sins can be found out. Our only hope is to have them covered by the Blood of the Lamb.

Good Father, we see the world uncovering their sin without guilt or shame. We, too, sometimes excuse our sin as just a human condition that needs no fear of exposure. You see all of our sin. Yet, You love us so much that You will not let it stay hidden. You have made a way to remove it by Your Son’s blood. Thank You! Help us to open our hearts to Your plan and Your holiness. Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us!