As the autumn weather lingers, the Canadian geese criss-cross the skies from morning till night. Last night we heard them passing, nearly invisible in the gathering dark. We hear them coming and know to look to the SW for them. They cross over us going NE and later we'll see them crossing back in the opposite direction. They won't be heading south until snow covers their feeding grounds and ice begins to close off their watery resting places. But they are preparing for that monumental flight. This year's youngsters follow their parents from field to field, fattening for their journey and learning the "rules" of flight. Yesterday I watched several families flying together. The young geese were obviously having a hard time getting the gist of the famous flying V. They were so close I could hear the whooshing rumble of the "prop wash" tossing them around until they could organize themselves into formation. I could imagine their sighs of relief as they settled into smoother flight. After a full day of travel and feeding, they must return to open water, safe from predators prowling in the night.
Their restless meanderings reminded me of the diverse non-fiction I've read recently: the transcontinental flight of 2 teenage boys in a small Piper Cub; the life and religion of Eskimos on the northern coast of Alaska; the sad story of a young Muslim woman incarcerated for her father's attempted coup in Morocco. In all these stories, I found the same desperate searching for meaning and purpose in this life. It's as if we think that the more we DO, the more we MATTER. But is that really true?
I suppose all of us struggle with that question. Even in our faith, we chase after new programs, seminars, books and 30-day plans. Is this really the path to purpose? Don't we already have a purpose? Are we spending too much time looking for what God has already given us? Listen to Romans 5:1- 2
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
Read on through Romans chapter 6 and see that Paul is writing to Christians - buried into the death of Jesus, through baptism, and now under grace (Rom. 6:14). Yet he speaks of these blessings - peace, grace, hope - as things we already have! Why are we rushing about, seeking the blessings of God when they're already purchased for us and within our grasp?
Paul visited Athens and, as a result, made a very famous speech on Mars Hill. You can read the entire account in Acts 17:16-33. But when he stood before the Areopagus he said,
"Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."
This wonderful, awesome God has been proclaimed to us! What a blessing and treasure that we've been given the wisdom of His Word, the life of His dear Son, His all-powerful Spirit. What are all these "objects" we dash around collecting for ourselves? Romans 6:22-23 reminds us,
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Christians - brothers and sisters washed in the Blood of the Lamb - we are on the road to holiness, resulting in eternal life! Let's live our lives as victorious conquerors, not as clueless sheep chasing after every new thing.
Love as always, Elaine (taking off my running shoes!)
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