"Clarity..........................."

Thursday morning Beth arose early to drive the granddaughter out to school and I was seated at the computer when she returned, hearing the car pull into the gravel driveway just outside. It was nearly time for my own departure, so I got up and walked to the front door to meet her, but found no one there for several minutes. When she finally did appear, she entered to announce she had just killed a snake, smashing it with a small rock! With the creek not all that far and the hill behind us being thick woods, we get visitors quite often, but the reptile variety are usually no more than of the garter variety, small and colorful. She, however, had no answer when pressed for the hue of this one, but was eager to show me her victim, following me outside and leading me to the point of contact. I saw nothing. Using her sandaled toes to point out the exact spot in the grass there beside her exit from the car, she drew my attention to a dark, thin, crooked strand of something or other which, after examination turned out to be no more than a plant root previously extracted from the nearby flowerbed… Wednesday evening’s meeting with the men at the rescue mission held no point where the thickness of God’s presence assured us of His being there in our midst, but, for the most part, it seemed that those in attendance were one with us in the message we shared. I often wonder how many Muslims are in the crowd, submitting themselves to the Gospel in exchange for a meal, such arena always a mixture of whatever walks through the door. Theologies abound, denominationally sound or not, most willing to agree on a claim of God’s existence, but the image held in their minds a matter of perspective. People “see” what they think they see, “hear” what they want to hear; and, in truth, words are a poor means of establishing contact, holding no guarantee one’s thought reaches the other end perceived exactly as originally intended. Salvation has never been merely professing faith in a few verses of Scripture, a doctrinal credo of sorts turned into an identity badge permitting passage through the Pearly Gates. Life works out the details. Reality is a lesson learned as we go. It helps if one leaves the door open, allowing His Spirit permission to involve Himself in the next step……