Skip to main content

Damascus Experience

The evening breeze and sunset invited me to sit back on my patio lounge chair.  As I did, here came Goldyn too.  He invited himself onto my lap, all 85 lbs. of himself.  He has never thought his size a limitation for my lap. After a few turns and readjustments, there we sat, serene and squeezed.  For a moment, I was reminded of when my son, a toddler, did the same.  I'd be sitting on the couch, writing, and up he'd come to squeeze between the corner of the couch and me.  There in his spot, he contentedly sat with me.  Now, after all these years, I have my Goldy mimicking the same. . . 

The quiet gave me time to think about my day.  I often find myself wondering what is God up to in my life?  I really don't understand His ways or thoughts. The turn of events in our life was something I never dreamed possible.  But that was being totally naive.  I don't know why we think we have earned immunity from hardship.  So when that unexpected happens, we are taken a bit off guard.  Yet I am discovering that stripped of what we thought we needed to live our days out may become our own Damascus Experience. . .

The man called Saul was going about his business, being zealous for what he believed was right.  Until that day he met his match while on the road to the city of Damascus.  He received not only a divine intervention from God, but one that was quite direct.  The vision blinded him for 3 days, but opened his eyes to the faith, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.  He walked away changed forever, and became the apostle Paul, the very one who was given some of the deepest revelations of God himself.  

It is interesting to me that as I had been praying for a Damascus Experience for other family, that what I prayed for others has somehow played out itself in me.  Once again, I should have known and been the wiser.  But, as I allow my eyes to see and keep an open heart, what I thought could be our doom may turn out to be of such great value, not in terms of temporal finite things, but in stock for all eternity. 


It's just like the words of one of my favorite songs spell out.  "He'll use and he'll do anything that he wants to, to tell us I love you . . . He knows how to get a hold of us to show us He's enough . . . "  So I'm walking in these days having a very fresh glimpse of the One who saved me.  My little suffering is nothing in comparison to what He suffered for me on the cross.  And yet, in this very thing I sense anew his grace, his love, and kindness.  It makes me want to get much closer to Him, to spend more time in His presence. . .


Sort of like, this big ol' Goldyn boy who is drawn to my lap even if there would seem to be no room. . . but he, like I, will always find the room upon his Master's lap. . .  


"Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ . . ."
                                   Ephesians 1:3


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Easter Production

Driving down the freeway, the large billboard caught my eye.  "Join us for our Easter Production,"  it beckoned with splashy brown and orange colors.  It made me think, yes, that's what the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been reduced to. . . a man made production.  Even this very day we celebrate, the headlines are all about the celebrities that attract the biggest Easter crowd.  E.G. "Tim Tebow draws thousands to Texas Easter service."  Once again, I had to think . . . who is Easter really about?  What happened to "Jesus draws a crowd?" I have grown tired of celebrity worship.  Yet, it seems in America that is what most Christians are interested in. We flock to mega churches, we drink in videos and studies all geared to keep us simple minded and complacent.  No longer is theology a priority to be taught.  No, it's better to read through the Bible in a year by reading only 5 minutes a day.  Never mind, contemplating or discuss...

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

   " Put yourself in the path that God will work." (Pastor Martin Smith, 1/2024)  On a crisp, clear Saturday morning, I started up the hill with Gypsy Rose eagerly leading the way.  I was more caught up in the fresh air feeling that was invigorating, than paying attention to the few cars that passed us by.  But there up ahead, a small red truck had slowed to the curb to flag me down.  "Could I help him find his son's house?" He was an older gentleman with his phone in hand.  He couldn't reach his son because the calls only went to voicemail, and he didn't have his address, only that it was somewhere here in Rancho.  I googled his son for him, but unfortunately, it only brought up an older address which was the current address now for this man.  There was no updated address for Rancho Cucamonga.  I told him the bad news, but he was so very gracious.  He did everything to show me that he was for real, pulling out  his driver lice...

Awe

  The thunder resounded with a loud clap! Certainly, it came as an afternoon surprise.  The expected rain seemed less than what was forecasted, but with the thunder came a bucket of heavy raindrops splashing against my kitchen window.  I wanted to take it all in, the fresh aroma of falling rain and the beauty of water drops hitting the leaves of my nasturtium and petunia hanging baskets.  Unfortunately, the rain cloud quickly fled, running away into the eastern sky.  But then the sun made its way onto the scene, and I was drawn to a thick band of rainbow colors shining up at me.  The western sky was magnificently orange, completely bound up tight with that solo color scheme.  I went outside to catch it all before it would disappear.  Creation again was causing me to pause in awe and wonder. . . Awe is that reverential wonder, that even includes fear and respect.  It is only a 3 letter word, but it takes bigger and grander words to define it....