Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalms 51:7-12 (NKJV)

When I was younger I used to enjoy those occasional snow days that would halt regularly scheduled activities, especially school. Waking up in the morning and hearing the radio announce the name of our school as one of the districts to be closed due to a major snow storm was exhilarating. My brother and sister and I would bundle up in our winter gear and grab the sleds out of the garage and head on outside to make tracks in the freshly fallen snow. Hours would pass before we grew tired of playing in the snow. We would make snow forts, snowmen, toss snowballs at each other, sled down the back hill into the neighbors yard, roll around in the snow and even make snow angels. Oh the fun we had as kids playing in the snow.

This week the northeast got blanketed in over 2 feet of snow, and now that I am no longer a school kid snow days are not quite as much fun as they once where. Having a snow day from work is not the same as having a snow day from school, primarily because there is a financial cost attached to the day off. The joy of a snow day has been replaced with the realization that someone has to shovel all that snow out of the driveway and off the sidewalks to make it possible to travel away from home. I have no desire today to make snowmen, or sled down a hill, or even make snow angels, the fact is I do not particularly like snow at all. It does look pretty hanging off the trees and blanketing the countryside, but it surely is no fun to have to shovel all that white stuff off the driveway and maneuver around on snow covered roadways.

It is amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What once was an event we looked forward too has turned into an event we could for the most part live without. I know God in His infinite wisdom felt the need to send snow in the winter, but I think I would much prefer to skip it altogether. If I could control the weather I think it would be a nice warm sunny spring day all year round. I know that is not practical in the northeast but hey I can dream can’t I?

Why this change of perspective when it comes to snow days? What causes one to change one’s opinion of a life event so markedly? Has our life’s situation changed so much that we no longer view the same event in the same way? When I was a child a snow day meant a day off from something that was less appealing — school, but as I got older that same snow day became the object of my dislike because I no longer associated the arrival of snow as a welcome diversion but rather as toilsome and inconvenient. The joy of those bygone snow days has been erased.

The snow that was a joy and delight in my childhood has become a minor inconvenience today. What once brought hours of joy and endless possibilities has today become a nuisance. Perhaps it would do me good to try to remember the joy of my childhood during these Northeast snow days. Perhaps I should try to recapture some of the thrill of those bygone days. Perhaps I should try to see a snow day as a welcomed diversion from normal day to day life.

King David likened snow to his being washed of his sin. He had lost the joy that came along with living because of his transgressions against God. He knew daily that he had messed up and wanted to recapture the joy that came along with being cleansed and forgiven. Guilt and shame steals a great deal of joy from our lives. So does regret. To a child being corrected by our parents ranked high on the list of dislikes. Being disciplined was not something we loved as a child, actually it is not something we enjoy as adults either. (more…)

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

God removed Saul and made David their king. God spoke favorably about David. He said, ‘I have found that David, son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22 (GW)

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7 (NKJV)

Gregory House, the fictional star of Fox’s hit show “House” is a cantankerous, rude, obnoxious character who just happens to be a brilliant diagnostician. Each episode of this hit series brings “House” and his team face to face with life and death situations. Time marches on as the team attempts to find what is ailing each patient. What “House” lacks in bed-side manner he more than makes up for in his vast knowledge of medicine. I guess if I were sick and I had a choice between a really sweet person with a lovely bed-side manner but lacked the knowledge to cure me and a Gregory House, I think I would opt for Gregory House, knowing he would do whatever it took to find a cure.

Inside this miserable excuse for a human being lies a true doctor. Although addicted to pain killers and dealing with his own demons, “House” remains focused on the patient before him and tirelessly works to find a cure. It is his “inside doctor” that redeems an otherwise hopeless individual. Many who did not know the doctor inside Gregory House might easily dismiss him as just a rude, nasty person. Even those who think House is totally out of control have to stop and marvel at his unsurpassed ability to cure what seems to be the incurable.

Inside Gregory House truly lives a doctor. Of course I think we would all prefer Doctor House to be a bit more sociable and agreeable but I think few would want the doctor in House to change.

Outwardly I think we all could use some improvement. I know personally if I could change a few things about my personal appearance I might, but it is not the outward man that makes a person, it is that hidden man on the inside that truly determines who we are. If we were judging Gregory House by outward appearances we could easily conclude this guy is not going to operate on me, however after watching him work and see what lies on the inside of him few would argue his abilities.

David was a man after God’s own heart. Outwardly David’s life was less than admirable. He committed adultery, and murdered his first wife’s husband, and yet God saw what was on the inside of David. David, like Gregory House, had many failings, and personality flaws but inside lived a true man of God. David, like House, held inside greatness. David was looked upon by God as a truly great man.

Before it is said that I advocate people being as miserable as they can be to other people, as long as they do a good job, that is not my point here. However, at the same time, we all have bad days, we all have crosses to bear, we all have personality defects that to the naked eye make us somewhat unattractive. Thank God He looks at the heart of a man, the inside of a man. Gratefully, He searches the heart and attitudes of a person. God looks to the inside while we mere humans look mainly at the outside.

Inside Gregory House lives a great physician and inside King David beat a heart after God. What is living inside you? When the Lord looks into your heart does he see one beating with the very heartbeat of God himself or does it beat to the drummer of this world? Had Gregory House not been a truly great doctor there would not be much good we could say about him. Had King David not been a man after God’s own heart there would not be much good we could say of him either.

Is there a doctor in the House? Is there a Christ inside you? Is the Great Physician residing in your heart?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Related articles

• Hugh Laurie Experimented With Vicodin For House Role [via Zemanta]
• Last night on television: House (Five) - [via Zemanta]