The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Summer gardens are in their prime. In our case that means lots of yellows to contrast with the raucous carefree colors of potted petunias and other mainstay annuals that help balance our mature garden. Mornings are a time of exploration for our animals as they relish the cool dawn hours before the heat sets in. In particular there is one coal black feline friend whose yellow eyes are the only giveaway to her presence as she explores each new day. She often surprises by being right in front of us while cleverly blending into the foliage.

Whether the cat is camouflaged in the flowers or cleanly apart from them, it is the same cat. Are we willing to consider the various views we encounter each day and give credence to the fact that the cat is first and foremost a creation of God? Like us, she definitely has better days than others, but, in the end, she is who she is without expectation, guile, guilt or shame. Can the same be said for us?

Observing what is right in front of us sounds like an easy task for most. What happens when the opposite is true, when we are convinced we see what we want to see and not the reality of what is there? If we are willing to entertain at least some degree of scrutiny without fear, then it seems that personal and spiritual growth would naturally follow.

Many depend on scripture as the immutable Word of God. Others view scripture as inspired but not literally construed. Still others have grave concerns over the veracity of scripture brought forward into this day and age without employing a lens or filter that informs us of the cultures it originally addressed.

Being removed from the sources of scripture by time and place does not negate their validity as applied to present-day challenges. They can, in fact, push and prod us to broader thinking beyond merely following a prescribed list of do’s and don’ts. Rote narratives that have become common over time as we read and experience passages yet one more time can be problematic. While there is solace in ritual for many, caution is also urged so that we don’t dismiss revelations of the Spirit, divine spaciousness that allows us to see God in new ways.

When you are stumped at God’s hopes and desires for you, take a closer look at your immediate surroundings and know that God is present, though perhaps difficult to discern. We might have to search awhile or change our expectations of how God is with us. We might even be surprised from time-to-time as God is revealed unexpectedly in some new way without equivocation.

Discern what is real before you. Sometimes it is simply what is intended on its face. At other times we might have to work at it a bit. Either path creates healthful awareness in our quest for understanding divine relationship. R.C.Sproul offers, “The issue of faith is not so much whether we believe in God, but whether we believe the God we believe in.” If you’re not quite ready to try out that statement with others, try running it by the cat first and see what happens.