Skip to main content

More than What We See

                In 2019, the California Academy of Sciences released a list of seventy-one new species that had been discovered that year. This list included seventeen types of fish, fifteen geckos, six sea slugs, four eels, and two lizards.

                I find it fascinating that we are still finding new creatures. Since 2010, the academy has discovered 1375 previously unknown species, and the article I read stated that “Biodiversity scientists estimate that more than 90 percent of Earth’s species are still unknown”.

                If that is true of the physical world which we know so well, what might that say about the Spiritual world about which we know so little? When I read scripture, I realize that there is more going on than what I see, know, or expect.

                After Joseph’s brothers turn on him and sell him as a slave, God continues to work in his life to give him opportunities that he never would have had otherwise. After Joseph saves the entire known world from a famine, he is reunited with his brothers and reassures them that, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:30).

                Moses is tending his father-in-law’s sheep on a day that is just like every other day, when God breaks in and says, “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10).

                Jesus’ death on the cross looked like a defeat, but, in truth, it was the moment of victory. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

                If my life depends on me being good enough, smart enough, and strong enough to make the right decisions and do the right things, I am in big trouble. However, when I understand that there is more going on than what I see and that God is at work in ways I do not understand, then I can trust that even unpleasant events can be used for my good.

                Jesus once said, “My father is always at his work” (John 5:17).

                Therefore, anything can happen.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    

New Article: Think Abundance Not Scarcity

                 “There are no trees in Saskatchewan!”                I have heard that statement many times, mostly from people who moved to Estevan from places like British Columbia or northern Ontario.   Compared to what they expect, Saskatchewan, and Estevan in particular, seems rather barren.   However, that statement is not true.   More than half the province is covered with trees.   Go up north and there are trees everywhere.                A few months ago, I came across an aerial photo of Estevan from the 1950s.   When I showed it to my girls, the first thing they said was, “Wow, there are no trees in that picture!”   The photo looked odd ...