“The hard truth is that no person can love God until they see God and no person can see God until God gifts them with his Spirit. And yet the wonderful truth is that God does gift his Spirit liberally, opening the eyes of human hearts to see and savor not only the glory that is presented to their senses . . . but also a greater glory that is less accessible to the senses but no less real — the eternal glory of God.”- Scott Sauls
In Prologue 4 (“The Grand Canyon”) of Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen, Scott Sauls notes how easily we miss beauty, even when it’s right in front of us. Therefore, sometimes we miss beauty because we:
- choose to look the other way
- prefer lesser, humdrum things
- prefer safe, controllable things rather than adventure
- find our senses numbed and our hearts callused from sorrow
Furthermore, even if our lives see trouble free, we remain numb to God. Because, Pastor Sauls observes, when left to ourselves, we fail to see God clearly. However, in Ephesians 1:17-19, Paul prayed that we’d see what cannot be seen without God’s intervening help. Namely, God.
Yet, Pastor Sauls sees the world as both exquisite and terrible. For at its best, the world bears constant witness to God. But something else occurs when the world’s terrors distract and afflict us. Then it’s quite easy to miss the music that God provides free of charge.
In conclusion, Pastor Sauls exhorts:
“Remarkably, God’s hidden glory shows up meaningfully in life’s beauty as well as in life’s suffering. . . . It is especially in the real-world troubles, when we’re down on the ground in the dirt, grasping for the hem of Jesus’ garment, that God opens our eyes to see him and know him more clearly.”
Today’s question: How does God gift His Spirit to you, opening the eyes of your heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Abiding and beholding – two practices”
