Tag Archives: sufficient grace

Another dimension

Leave a reply

 

 

We all understand what comprises a 2D drawing or 3D image. Maybe you’ve seen a 3D movie where the screen ‘comes to life.” At the outstanding 4D movie presentation of Beyond All Boundaries at the New Orleans World War II Museum, live actors appear to literally walk off the screen and onto the stage. You vividly experience the wind, the fog, the smells, and the vibrations from the explosions of war seemingly happening all around you.

 

Did you know that science does not restrict the study of dimensions to the physical realm? Mathematics and other sciences deal with abstract spaces quite independent of the physical space we perceive and live in.  And so we might consider another special dimension of life where we are in one certain physical place, surrounded and filled by real physical components, and yet at the same time quite separated from those elements:

 

Consider the spiritual dimension of God’s presence. The dimension of God’s presence is one of such closeness to Him that one can relate to and experience the “existence beyond the visible universe, departing from what is usual and normal especially so as to transcend the laws of nature.” (Quoted excerpt from Merriam Webster dictionary’s definition of supernatural).

 

Just as we enter the experience of a 4D movie theater by walking in and sitting down, we enter the spiritual dimension of God’s presence by making ourselves receptive to Him, by inviting Him to sit with us, and by responding to what He reveals to us. As a 4D movie can give us a glimpse of actually “being there,” even more so does entering the dimension of God’s presence give us a glimpse of heaven, on earth, here and now. It is putting oneself in a position that transcends our surroundings. Storms may prevail, but the sailor who dwells in God’s presence finds peace in the storm.

 

Paul calls this sufficient grace. (2 Corinthians 12:9). He shows us that we enter this grace by offering our body (our life) as a living sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Our experience of the dimension of God’s presence is measured by the ways become transformed by the renewing of our minds by His Spirit and His Word, and by not conforming to the ways of the world. And beyond simply transcending our circumstances, entering God’s presence reveals His purpose for our lives, His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

 

Are you ready to experience the adventurous dimension of living that transcends the troubles and worries of this life? Make yourself receptive to Him and respond to His voice.

 

If you believe, you will see the glory of God. John 11:40

 

Beauty everywhere

Leave a reply

 

 

White Fireworks – Thayerapy Gardens

 

“Beauty is everywhere when you know where to look for it.”

– Alice Herz-Sommer, 1903-2014

Beloved Pianist and Holocaust Survivor

 

Do you believe beauty is everywhere if you know where to look for it? If you lost loved ones to the Holocaust and were imprisoned yourself, would that still be your view?

 

It seems that few if any escape the prison that suffering brings. Be it for a day or a lifetime, torturous or merely a nagging interruption to a joyful life, be it physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual – we all come to know some degree of suffering and pain, for some a sorrow that enshrouds their entire world. It can become a darkness where little light seems to penetrate. But a holocaust survivor says she finds beauty everywhere. Another shares, “When you come out of Hell, you realize there are only a few important things in life: life itself, relationships, and faith.”

 

Actually, when it comes down to brass tacks, what choice do we have in the crucible of pain, sorrow, and suffering? We can’t escape it. It will demand we attend to it. But do we have to be crushed by it? Is there a way to transcend its vise grip on us? Can we choose to rise above it, to find our “more than a conqueror” spirit we are promised? Can we choose, like Job, to praise God while we scrape away the boils of pain that wrack our bodies and souls?

 

I don’t know of anyone who can do this in their own power, most certainly not me! In the midst of cancer I told God six times, “I give up. Take me home. I’m done with this.” I am convinced that my pain was small compared to what others’ endure and yet it was real enough for me. And each of those times, He held me patiently and lovingly, reminding me that His grace is indeed sufficient, even if I don’t sense it. We don’t have to sense God’s love for it to be real any more than a child who defies you even as you love them dearly.

 

I’ve decided to believe God at His Word even though I’m too feeble to understand it. His supernatural power within us continues to sustain us, no matter what this life throws at us. It is a calming peace that transcends all understanding. It might not calm the storm raging within us. But it is able to calm us in the middle of the storm. I don’t think it is a heroic act to believe this. I think it is a choice of faith if not desperation that in the midst of the darkness, His light will shine and reveal beauty yet to be found. What other choice would you make?

 

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

 

And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7