A Glimpse of God’s Hand
A friend sent me a link to this video. Watch it, then come back to read the rest.
http://www.wimp.com/sheeplight/
Now think about how God describes us…we’re the sheep of His pasture. Those sheep had no idea that there were lights of different colors strapped to their backs, or that the shepherds were doing such amazing things with them. All they knew was that some dog was nipping at their heels and barking all the time, never giving them a moment’s rest. Those pitiful, complaining sheep (oh, and a few goats, don’t forget them!) played a mean game of pong (helping their shepherd defeat his enemy) and then formed an absolute masterpiece, but it required a heavenly perspective to understand the reason for all that nipping and barking.
One more thought—I was reminded today how beautiful it is to be a part of the body of Christ. Lost people are often watching us, trying to determine if we’re for real, simply because they earnestly desire a transformed life, but can’t really say they’ve ever actually seen one. This morning, three women keeping watch in a hospital room were asked a very simple question—are you family? One was the daughter of “the patient.” She was born in Germany, lives in Texas, and has had a hard row to hoe for the last 25 years…but has never given up. She’s belonged to several different churches, and has experienced great sadness and loss, great joy and growth. One joined a certain church for only a brief time, met her husband, then moved off to other things in other lands. One comes from a lost family, and has often wondered what will happen to her in her old age, as she is alone.
Nothing binds those women together now but the blood of Christ. A simple test would reveal that they have no common ancestry. Their lives are so different now that one meeting them would have to wonder how in the world they even knew each other. Are they family? They didn’t know how to answer. Well, not legally, not really, not in the sense of, “are you breaking the law if you divulge medical information to me?” Are they family? Absolutely! And the blood that binds them is so much thicker than water it has become a yoke of iron. Forged in the fires of adversity, shaped in the school of hard knocks, and tempered by time. They are united for all eternity, even though they rarely get to enjoy each other’s company.
That’s what the world is looking for ladies—transforming power, and the Word of God says that it is by our love for one another that the lost will KNOW that we are HIS. Both of these silent pictures, the sheep playing Pong and painting the Mona Lisa, and the three women sharing their silent vigil, took a Master hand, moving and shaping while the pixels of his picture, the iron in his forge, recognized only constant barking and hammering.
Don’t give up yet, sisters. God is at work. You may not see the lights on your back, but you are a part of HIS flock, a pixel in HIS masterpiece, a stroke against HIS enemy. Your suffering has meaning, it has purpose. Hang on for the day when He gives you a glimpse of HIS hand in your beautiful, crazy, nipped-at life.
