Church Photos

Glimpses

By Pastor Tim

I was asked the other day how I would describe my favorite color to a person who had been blind since birth. My absolute favorite color is blue. Not just any blue but that deep rich pure blue. I picture the blue found on those crisp perfectly clear spring days when the sky has what seems an absolute purity of blue that nothing could penetrate its perfection.

But how do I describe something so perfect when viewed best through my eyes? What other sense could do it justice? Can I smell, taste, touch, or hear that perfect blue? I noticed a water faucet not long ago that had blue on the cold side so could I say my perfect blue tastes like cold water. But, last time I looked at my water bottle my water was clear, not blue. I also noticed a perfect blue painted car, so could I say my perfect blue feels smooth. I heard a blue bird sing and I have smelled a blueberry pie cooking. As you can tell I will never be able to convey what my eyes see. I fall short.

February is a month that often calls us to thoughts of love. Much of the hoopla is because of the 14th which is Valentine's Day. Perfectly normal people go absolutely crazy and as a nation we will spend millions of dollars to express our love for others. Does that truly describe love? Is there any other way to describe the heart of love? Is love only allotted one day at a cost of millions?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:4 that "Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." I cannot think of anything I could buy to convey the depth and purity of that love. It seems like the love Paul describes is something to be lived every day.

John 3:16 describes the depths of God's love for us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son..." My guess is that love touches all five senses far beyond our best description. We fall short in describing God's love. The love of God changes lives and sharpens all our senses toward greater understanding of perfect love. Death did not win and God's love conquers all, but only when lived out in patience, kindness and void of envy, boasting and pride.

As hard as it is for me to describe blue to a blind person, it is equally hard to describe love to an impatient, unhappy or prideful person. Yet I believe those are the ones God calls us to love. Try not to describe love with words but rather try to be the hands and feet of love. Words fall short when describing the heart of God's love. Who does God want you to love? Not just on February 14 but every day of the week.

God's Blessings!

Pastor Tim