DIG!
"At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike." Matthew 11:25
The little girls had been making chocolate cakes and digging holes in the sand box for an hour. The cold wind slapped my cheeks and I was secretly wishing our time outside would be coming to an end soon! But I couldn't help but be enchanted by the giggles and sweet conversations going on amidst the buckets and shovels! The girls had dug little holes all over, before they moved to an open area right in front of the swings. It was an area that saw little play because the swings usually threaten feet in the face! But this particular day no one was swinging and the open space was quickly taken over by the pretty in pink and purple 3,4, and 5 year olds!
The smooth surface was quickly overran by holes and piles of displaced sand. The girls were digging along when suddenly I heard shock and excitement in their voices. "A bone," they screamed, "we found a bone."
Suddenly casual digging became a scurried throwing of sand and a quest to solve the mystery. They called for me and I quickly ran over the help with their frenzy. I was at first a little concerned there was a real bone in the sand box. But as I went to see the source of all the commotion, I could barely see a little white coming out from beneath the sand. Because I could only see a small piece of this mystery, I began to see maybe it really could be a bone. Now, I too was eager to grab a shovel and start digging. We brushed away sand and continued to uncover little portions of the mystery that laid below the surface. And I couldn't help but see, how this was the very way so many of us search for GOD.
At first, we are presented with an open sand box. We dig holes and bake cakes and are content just playing in the sand. But then all of a sudden there's an open area. A space that we long to dig into! We start to dig a hole just like we had all the other times, only this time, we find a mystery. It happens to be the most amazing mystery of all. When you see a little bit of the mystery, you become eager to keep digging. You become invested in what's beneath the surface. You anxiously throw back sand to reveal a little bit more of the truth that is God. You invite people to help in the exciting journey, as the girls in my class invited me. At some point it feels like you can't dig fast enough.
Slowly, the mystery beneath the sand is revealed to you. Little parts are uncovered, yet, the actual object is up to interpretation by all the diggers. And as you dig more you get a little better idea of what you are truly digging for!
But the truth is, we couldn't tell what we were digging up until it was completely out of the sand. We got a clearer and clearer idea as the sand piled up and the object became closer to the surface. We saw it as bigger than a bone. We felt it was solid. We knew it's size and color. Yet, we still couldn't completely see what it was. And as we got closer to revealing the mystery object the digging got more difficult. The object was wedged between impacted sand! But we kept scraping, because we longed to see what was there. Finally, we lifted the object from the depths. It was a sand castle mold. The girls were ecstatic. They quickly moved on from digging holes to building castles. And their joy was not lost on me.
We spend our whole lives digging, maybe it's not sand but it's just the same. We reveal little aspects of our faith and our God as we remove the grains of sand. We get a clearer and clearer picture of who He is and who He created us to be. We won't reveal the entire mystery while we live our lives here on earth. But the deeper we dig the more distinct understanding of God is ours.
Keep digging. Throw back the sand. Reveal more and more of the King. Invite others to share in the mystery. But don't plan on pulling it completely out of the sand until you reach Heaven. The little bits we find at the bottom of the hole serve as incentive to keep going deeper and deeper into the mystery that is the beautiful gift of Jesus Christ. Today is a chance to reveal a little more of the object beneath the surface. And the more you reveal the closer you get to the final revelation of Christ in Heaven.
The little girls had been making chocolate cakes and digging holes in the sand box for an hour. The cold wind slapped my cheeks and I was secretly wishing our time outside would be coming to an end soon! But I couldn't help but be enchanted by the giggles and sweet conversations going on amidst the buckets and shovels! The girls had dug little holes all over, before they moved to an open area right in front of the swings. It was an area that saw little play because the swings usually threaten feet in the face! But this particular day no one was swinging and the open space was quickly taken over by the pretty in pink and purple 3,4, and 5 year olds!
The smooth surface was quickly overran by holes and piles of displaced sand. The girls were digging along when suddenly I heard shock and excitement in their voices. "A bone," they screamed, "we found a bone."
Suddenly casual digging became a scurried throwing of sand and a quest to solve the mystery. They called for me and I quickly ran over the help with their frenzy. I was at first a little concerned there was a real bone in the sand box. But as I went to see the source of all the commotion, I could barely see a little white coming out from beneath the sand. Because I could only see a small piece of this mystery, I began to see maybe it really could be a bone. Now, I too was eager to grab a shovel and start digging. We brushed away sand and continued to uncover little portions of the mystery that laid below the surface. And I couldn't help but see, how this was the very way so many of us search for GOD.
At first, we are presented with an open sand box. We dig holes and bake cakes and are content just playing in the sand. But then all of a sudden there's an open area. A space that we long to dig into! We start to dig a hole just like we had all the other times, only this time, we find a mystery. It happens to be the most amazing mystery of all. When you see a little bit of the mystery, you become eager to keep digging. You become invested in what's beneath the surface. You anxiously throw back sand to reveal a little bit more of the truth that is God. You invite people to help in the exciting journey, as the girls in my class invited me. At some point it feels like you can't dig fast enough.
Slowly, the mystery beneath the sand is revealed to you. Little parts are uncovered, yet, the actual object is up to interpretation by all the diggers. And as you dig more you get a little better idea of what you are truly digging for!
But the truth is, we couldn't tell what we were digging up until it was completely out of the sand. We got a clearer and clearer idea as the sand piled up and the object became closer to the surface. We saw it as bigger than a bone. We felt it was solid. We knew it's size and color. Yet, we still couldn't completely see what it was. And as we got closer to revealing the mystery object the digging got more difficult. The object was wedged between impacted sand! But we kept scraping, because we longed to see what was there. Finally, we lifted the object from the depths. It was a sand castle mold. The girls were ecstatic. They quickly moved on from digging holes to building castles. And their joy was not lost on me.
We spend our whole lives digging, maybe it's not sand but it's just the same. We reveal little aspects of our faith and our God as we remove the grains of sand. We get a clearer and clearer picture of who He is and who He created us to be. We won't reveal the entire mystery while we live our lives here on earth. But the deeper we dig the more distinct understanding of God is ours.
Keep digging. Throw back the sand. Reveal more and more of the King. Invite others to share in the mystery. But don't plan on pulling it completely out of the sand until you reach Heaven. The little bits we find at the bottom of the hole serve as incentive to keep going deeper and deeper into the mystery that is the beautiful gift of Jesus Christ. Today is a chance to reveal a little more of the object beneath the surface. And the more you reveal the closer you get to the final revelation of Christ in Heaven.
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