What we can't see....

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I learned a little lesson last night.  I have friends visiting and one of them got upset at me for something I thought was a bit trivial.  As with most things, sometimes what we can't see drives a response to the things that we do.  It was resolved quickly and later on in the evening, my friend explained the why.  Had I understood the why up front, the very small thing I did to upset this person wouldn't have happened in the first place.

I started writing this yesterday.  We went out to see the sea lions but the fog was so thick, you couldn't see offshore to where they were.  We could tell they were there.  We could hear them, but we couldn't see them.  It's kind of a metaphor for things we know but can't see.

There's a word for that:  faith.  We can't see God, but we can see evidence of His presence.  Believers can feel it.  Sometimes, we can hear that still, small voice.  Other times, we can smell flowers, or the air after a rainstorm.  Even the smoke from a fire points to God's goodness in His creation.  Sometimes fire regenerates the forest because the heat from it is what releases seeds from the pine cones to plant new trees.  We can't see God in the fire, but we can see God's design for good from it.

I got thinking about that yesterday because my friends wanted to do some things I just don't care to do anymore.  And I've never been a "go along to get along" guy.  I got reminded though that sometimes you gotta go to where the people are to reach them and you can do that and not compromise who you are.  My friends needed a driver last night.  It's easy for me to be available to do that and I actually had a really good time.  I didn't go along to get along.  I went to look after the people God brought into my life.

I wouldn't go back to the old ways.  That's just not who I am.  And it's hard to understand how those past experiences can point someone to Christ.  But there was a moment last night when the one friend who was upset with me said something about being saved, not in a spiritual sense.  I told my buddy that Jesus does the saving and when my buddy replied that Jesus didn't want to do that, I pointed out to my buddy that Jesus loves you and when my buddy tried to dismiss that, I replied that He does, and that in a tough time, He sent me.

My buddy can't see Jesus right now.  He's there just the same.  But my buddy can see me.  

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