Surviving Chaos

WOW! Isn’t God amazing! For the past ten years MaryEllen and I have had the same television. It’s a 19 inch tube TV which was purchased before we got married for almost $300. This TV has been through it all. It has seen the births of our three children, has endured seven moving experiences (from Rochester out west and back again), has had wax dripped on it, fingerprints smudged on it and kids licking it. But through it all it has been a loyal friend and companion. And after ten years with our loyal companion, we as a family began to become very comfortable with its short comings. We overlooked the fact it took 15-20 minutes before the screen showed a picture (sometimes longer in the colder weather…but don’t we all move slower when it’s cold out?). We overlooked the fact that the screen was so small that we had to get within inches to read any subtitles or rolling text on the screen. We even overlooked that the color was starting to lose its luster and vibrancy. Though there had been talk of replacing it with a newer model, we continued to be complacent as long as it continued to work.

Well, that was true until we were kindly given a 27 inch TV from our District Superintendent, Pastor Paul James. When we first plugged in our new TV, we (the complete family) were amazed at what we had been missing. The color was so vivid and alive. The picture was so clear. The sound was crisp. And best of all…it turned on immediately! WOW! It was amazing. It was as if someone opened my eyes for the very first time and I saw everything I had been missing before.

We can fall into the same issues when it concerns our faith. We become so complacent with the idea of having just enough faith to get through the day when in reality, God wants us to have the kind of faith that is ALIVE, VIVID, and CLEAR. His desire is for us to share the same sentiment as Paul the Apostle, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the POWER of God for salvation…” (Romans 1:16). My question for you is where is your faith? Are you simply satisfied with a faith that is complacent (though you know your missing something)? Or is your faith allowing you to experience life filled with wonder and amazement?

Lord, open my eyes to your Brilliance so I can see everything I was missing before.