Streak-Free Shine

Being invisible has never appealed to me. I'm not really the sort of person to sit in the background, not matter what's going on. After all, if I'm going to be somewhere, I want people to know I'm there. Otherwise, what's the point of being there, right? To be honest, I don't usually find this a particularly troubling trait in myself. It allows me to get things done that need doing and move on to the next task, whether that be socializing (yes, that counts as a task for me), cleaning a bed or giving blood to a severely hypotensive patient. But I've begun to wonder if maybe, sometimes, it isn't a good idea to be too visible. I don't mean that I want to disappear into the background, because I really don't think being invisible is the point, but I do wonder if there isn't someway that I can be less me. I'm not being self-deprecating. I quite like being myself. However, I know someone who is a great deal better than I am (like saying VY Canis Majoris is a great deal bigger than the earth, if you're looking for a scale reference), and who deserves a lot more attention than I do.

For that reason, I wish I could be see-through, like a window, so that while I'm rushing about being visible and all, people would be able to see who it is that is giving me the strength to do what I do. And trust me. I definitely need the strength. I can't count on one hand the number of times I almost broke down yesterday alone. I am not by nature a patient person, so if you ever see me being patient, I hope you can realize that you're not actually seeing me at all. I'm being see-through.

There is, of course, a catch. Funny thing about windows: when they're dark on the inside, they only reflects what's outside. So if I tell people that I'm a Christian, that I believe in serving a Living God, then if I'm impatient or bitter, if I lie or cheat or curse, I'm painting the inside of my window black, covering up what I'm supposed to be showing, giving a false idea of who God is and what he wants. If I'm not revealing God, then I'm reflecting the world. And for people who have no idea what God's love truly is that must be terribly confusing.

Love is a great window cleaner (better than vinegar and newspaper). It strips away all that black paint and reveals what's truly behind the glass. I find it harder to use than I should. Fortunately, I'm not alone in this effort to create a streak-free shine. God is the one who started the process, and I know he's not going to stop until it's finished.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

 Philippians 1:6

Bus Stop

Sitting at a bus stop on green plastic bench with countless globs of used gum stuck beneath the edge, the wind blows cold and gritty down the street, not at all hindered by the plexiglass shelter sporting badly spelled insults and out of date advertisements...if you are lucky enough to be at a stop that has a shelter at all. Waiting for a bus that may or may not get there on time. It isn't what I would consider a comfortable, or even a safe, place to be. Fortunately, stays at bus stops are inherently transient. They are waypoints, not end points of journeys.

This world is much the same. It is a waypoint, transient and not terribly comfortable. In fact, sometimes, it can be downright painful, sitting in the cold and waiting for a bus that you thought was supposed to be coming. It isn't where you want to be. It isn't home. And if that were all there was in this life, I would be hopeless to the point of despair. 

The greatest thing about this world is that it isn't all there is. We wait at bus stops because we have somewhere else to go. Somewhere infinitely more pleasant and warmer. Somewhere we are meant to be. It may take a while to get there. And while you are here, you will almost definitely end up on a route you hadn't planned on taking either because you read the little colored lines wrong or caught the wrong numbered bus or simply because whether you wanted to go there or not that was where you were meant to be. Certainly, it sometimes feels like you'll be here at this particular stop forever. But it isn't permanent. Nothing here is. And that is the greatest hope I have.

Hebrews 12:25-29

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.