Shakespeare encompassed an entire mood with a few simple words (as he eloquently did in all his writings) which many of us remember: “Now is the winter of our discontent”. A powerful word picture that expresses a deep feeling with only seven words. Of course that line, said alone, is conveyed completely out of context for the next line “made glorious summer by this son of York; Richard III” brings to light that the mood of the speaker is actually a quite happy and grateful one.
It is so important we do not take snippets of what is said or written and make conclusions without realizing the full intent and meaning. This applies to everything in life, including our study of God’s word. I’ve been guilty of this many times, sometimes in simple error…and sometimes because I just read only what I wanted to read. God has admonished us from the beginning of mankind not to “pick and choose” our insights; what we want—by our very humanistic nature—is not aligned with God’s will, which is why we must humble ourselves to giving up our ways of thinking and ask Him for ears to hear and eyes to see.
Seeing the world through God’s eyes is a constant spiritual maturation we must pursue through continuous and faithful prayer. A daunting task by even the most motivated Christian. Once we begin to discover God’s truths, however, the revelations they bring become the foundation for a spiritual cycle that is self-perpetuating. We stumble through a situation, we realize God’s hand in the matter, we change course, we feel pretty good about our handle on things, we stumble again, we seek God’s intervention…; and so goes the phases of what will be our life-long development as a Christian.
Heed my caveat, however. When searching for answers and insight, do not read your Bible without an open mind and open heart. Do not pray without an open mind and open heart.
Our souls may have become perfected in God’s eyes but our human lives remain prey to an imperfect world. We will gravitate toward those things which make us feel good long before we acknowledge the wisdom of God’s guidance.
Now, let the winter of your discontent be made into a glorious summer. With your faith in God this will surely happen.
Greg A. Morton
© 4-29-2008
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