Encountering Life and Seeing Things Clearly

Learning from God and Learning from people through the years, God has used life experiences and the principals of the Bible to teach me about how I am to live as a Christian. It has not always been easy for me. I have not always been a receptive student. But he has always persisted in his purposes and plans to expand my understanding and conform me more and more to the image of my Savior. Because of him, I have learned many things I could not and would not have grasped. I am certain that some of you have a similar experience.

The Lord has also given me many friendships and interesting acquaintances with people, both in the United States and in other nations. They have opened up new understandings and new arenas of life to me. Perhaps the greatest lesson they have taught me is how much all human beings actually have in common. We are not the "unique event". We share our humanness with all other human beings and have similar needs, fears, joys, and sorrows.

Human Sources and the Greatest Source

Because the events of our lives are, in truth, rather universal and because the Lord is teaching us through our experiences, we have something to offer to one another. There are common threads. There are fitting words to speak. There are ways by which we may encourage, advise, and direct each another. Our parents, spouse, children, extended family, friends, and church relationships are powerful sources of learning for us. They influence us more than we may realize. They are our most intimate examples, mentors, and partners in life.

People who are not as close to us also influence our lives. Politicians, businessmen, performers, writers, singers, and professors offer their opinions and ideas in the public arena. So does our neighbor, pharmacist, housekeeper, or handyman. Even the man who comes to clean our carpet, the mechanic who works on our car, or the stranger sitting next to us on a plane has some reflection about life to tell us. And then there are people from history who enter the mix. By reading their books and studying their lives, we learn even more. The bottom line is that our human sources are abundant, varied, and sometimes very contradictory.

As Christians, however, we have an additional source. We have the Word of God. It is, in fact, the greatest source of all. The principals and teachings we find in Scripture give us foundational wisdom for meeting life. It gives us the ability to evaluate the many ideas and opinions that come to us through the people in our lives.

Clear and understandable, the Bible addresses the issues and situations that we face. By studying its pages, we learn how we may live. The Bible helps us discern truth from lies. It gives us insight into what people say and do because people, as wonderful as they are, are not always correct or trustworthy. We must have a measure of truth by which to judge what we see and hear so we are able to decide what to believe and what to do and how to respond in the various situations of life.

Seeing Life with Clarity

The Bible, the Word of God, is the means God chose to use to reveal his truth to people. God's Word gives us an entrance into God's mind. It reveals God's character to us. Not only does the Bible teach us about God's nature. It also teaches us about human nature. As we learn about God and about people, we begin to understand more about who God is and more about who we are. It helps us become realistic about life.

John Calvin, a great theologian of the Protestant Reformation, advised us to look at life through the "spectacles of Scripture". I like that statement. The Bible gives us a clearer vision of life. The reason it does is because it is "breathed out" by the Creator of all of life, God Himself. Who knows life better than the One who gave life? Without God's perspective we are indeed shortsighted and blurred in our vision.

This column is my attempt to help you learn from God and his Word through encountering together everyday situations and everyday people living ordinary lives. Some of my writings will be based on my own experiences. Other articles will be the stories of people I have encountered or people I know. We will put on the glasses of Scripture, examine together what is before us, and attempt to comprehend the lessons of faith that are there. Simply put, we will talk about life.

My aim is two-fold. I want us to see life more clearly. I also want us to see God more clearly. My hope is that we will grow in our love for Christ and become instruments of His peace who point to His glory in a world that needs Him desperately! See you next time.

Sarah Gleason — Octover 2004