We have all felt like we didn’t fit in with a certain crowd of people. They drive nicer cars or they like to talk about things that are out of our life experience. Real or imagined we tend to pull away from people like this because we fear we are just not good enough…
But what if we do this with God?
What if we pull away from deepening our spirituality because we fear we are not perfect enough or we feel like we don’t have it in us to find a close intimate relationship with God? Perhaps we even feel like he has more important things to deal with than our personal problems…
To bring our universal experience of feeling unclean closer to home, I am reminded of a story told by my mother about her childhood living in Oklahoma during the Depression. My mother is a wonderful story teller and this particular event has really made an impression on me.
One day, after working long hours in the hot sun of the cotton fields, she was spared the long walk home because she was given a ride home from some passing strangers. It seems this was a rather affluent family that had stopped to ask my grandfather for directions. Having never met a stranger, my grandfather struck up a conversation with them until they kindly offered him a ride in their new, rather expensive, car. Delighted at having found a new audience, Gus chattered away comfortably in the front seat while my mother, then a teenager, sat in the back seat between two handsome and immaculately dressed young men.
The blessing of the ride was lost to her, however, because she was completely preoccupied with hiding her dirty bare feet. Because she felt these young men were somehow better than her, that in comparison she was not clean enough to be in their company, she separated herself mentally from the group.
This may seem like an over simplification of our sin, but when we focus all of our attention on our imperfect nature we produce within ourselves a nature that is hiding from the living encounter with the all powerful God the creator of the universe.
And this is what Jesus can do for us. When we see Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith we realized that we have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” ~ Hebrews 12:2 NLT
And seeing that as a picture of our faith…cleanses us and gives us confidence to go before our heavenly Father.
And so we realize that seeing God in our mind’s eye
Being able to share our heart with him…
And ask for His guidance…
means allowing ourselves to be seen, by Him as well.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” ~ Isaiah 52:7 NLT
Happy Sunday!
Peace be with you:)
God Thru the Arts 
