Foggy Morning

Good morning,

I was out walking early this morning as the sun was just starting to appear and there was fog over the lake, breathtakingly beautiful! What is it about white snow, fog, golden rays of sun and before your eyes… that is all you can see? None of the houses on the shoreline were visible. It looked like a fantasy land that is beautiful and comforting, not scary or eerie. Maybe because it was warm out, it gave a warm glow to the fog. Sometimes when it is really cold a fog can look frightening. The thing about a fog is, I know what the lake and shoreline really look like. I know the fog is temporary. But if I were to try and walk in the fog or drive in the fog, I cannot see and I could get hurt because of blind navigating.

As I am walking and thinking about these things, I am also walking this early because it is my prayer time and alone time with Christ. I sometimes laugh at how He knows I am a visual learner! I realize and see most of the time what he wants me to take away from our morning walk. Today, I believe He was showing me how He is a fog, not clear, person to so many people. A lot of people don’t know His true personality and they see a cold, frightening, unclear, blind way to God. Or they see a beautiful heart and life in someone and they just think that looks too good to be true. Or they are just too lost to have God ever be a part of their life and if they do want Christ in their life, they have seen too many “religious people” and they surely don’t want a bunch of rules and guilt and conditions put on their already difficult life.

So, how do we lift the fog and show someone who is really depressed or sick or hurting from a loss or just having such trouble feeling stable and loved that Jesus can come into your life and give your heart peace and joy?

We have to show them first! We have to do a simple act of love.

I saw an interview on the news about a man who was going to go to a school and shoot and he told no one. He was overweight and awkward and had no friends and was very unloved and so angry. Just a day before he was going to hurt as many at school as he could, a mother of one of the school kids baked him a pie and invited him over to enjoy it with her. He told how she changed his whole world. Her simple act of love saved him and stopped him from wanting to hate and hurt to finding hope! He now is married and has 4 children.

As he was talking and telling his story, constant tears were streaming down his face.

He said, “Change will come when we love people!”

My, that sounds like Jesus’ simple message: You are loved just as you are and I have saved you from sin and death. Come learn about me and I will give you love, joy, peace; I will teach you how!

Jesus says, “I stand at the door knocking. If you open it, I will come in and dwell with you.” He is knocking at the door of our hearts. We let Him in. We share His love with others. We help lift the fog of who Jesus is so others’ lives are not blind navigating or blissful ignorance. Jesus is a person who wants to be closer to you than a friend and has power and authority to guide you and protect you and help you and give you everlasting life–all the while, loving you. Hallelujah!!

Love you, Teri