Day 3 - Issue 23
Matthew 16:23 NLT
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
When starting primary school, my mum tried to teach me to tie my shoelaces. She was left-handed and I right-handed. So I found it impossible to follow her, which confused and frustrated us both. Wanting to please, a neighbour’s daughter taught me at school and I learned immediately. A mirror will create the same distorting effects. So what we observe in the rear-view mirror may, in fact, be a distortion of the truth.
Peter, who I love for the honest quality of his discipleship, discovers that to impose his own reading of a situation upon the divine plan is to court disaster. Having bathed in Jesus’ affirmation, he now experiences his wrath as he attempts to square an impossible circle. Once we try to understand the kingdom within the narrow confines of human reasoning, all hell literally breaks loose.
Sitting holding Jayne’s hand as she experiences waves of pain courtesy of her chronic condition, silence surrounds us. I am quietly praying, usually the Jesus Prayer, but mostly expressing solidarity as best I can. Have I been tempted down the road on wondering why in my second marriage my wife faces a serious health issue? It would be a lie to deny it. Does Jayne apologise for carrying this condition into my life, having observed me accompany Katey? Well, yes, often. Yet, all attempts to rationalise can only fail us.
Firstly, any comparison with my previous marriage as Katey battled MS is subject to the distortions of the rear-view mirror. It is more likely to be affected by associated emotions marinated in the time lag between then and now. Wishing life was different is wishful thinking, a distraction from gazing on God. There are tears, there are disappointments, and there is frustration. However, there is also the invitation to look forward. We need to discover nothing can obscure our ability to discern God in all the movements of life.
QUESTION: Have the events of your past distorted your view of your present or future?
PRAYER: Sovereign Lord, you are the Alpha and Omega, you know the beginning from the end. Help me to trust each day in you.
