Some Things Must Be Believed
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6)
I have a quote hanging in my office from Madeleine L’Engle. It reads, “Some things must be believed in order to be seen.”
This quote invites me to not be closed minded in my thinking. It invites me to be open to the possibilities and presence of God that is all around me. How can you be open to the possibilities and presence of God in your life today?
In CS Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia,” in the last book of the series called, “The Last Battle,” as the title suggests there is a final battle that takes place between the forces of good and evil. During the battle, those captured are placed into a barn for safe keeping for a time. What is surprising, is that CS Lewis has this barn be a portal into heaven.
The challenge is that for those who only see it for what it is, a barn, all they experience is the darkness, the dampness, the smells . . . of a barn. It is what they see. But for those who are open to the possibilities of God, they see it as a passageway, where they are invited to go further up and further in to meet the God who loves them.
As we remember the stories of the life of Jesus and in the earliest followers of Jesus, this story of the death and resurrection of Jesus is a reminder that God is at work in the world, often in surprising and unexpected ways.
Sometimes I am not open to God’s action, because all I can see is what is before me. Sometimes there may be the challenges of life that weigh on me. Sometimes it is frustration with something not happening the way I would like, in the timing that I would like to see. Sometimes I have a hard time looking past what I see.
Yet this story of resurrection is a reminder that God is at work in ways that are unexpected. But God is at work.
The question I find myself asking is can I be open? Can I live with expectation that God is at work in this world and in my life? Can I live in anticipation that somewhere on my journey through life today, I will meet God or experience God in the people I meet?
What about you? Have you forgotten how to live with hope and expectation?
Madeleine L’engle is right, “Some things must be believed in order to be seen.”
May God help us live, and believe, and hope today, so we can live into the promise of the resurrection.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for being at work in this world, in surprising and unexpected ways. Keep us open to you and your direction. Send us where you need us to go, so we can share the love and hope you give us with others. In the hope Jesus offers us, Amen.