My Reasoning Stopped When . . .

I looked up at the sun a few days ago, its brilliance filling a spot in the sky that I could hardly bear to look at. I knew I couldn’t, but I really wanted to see it. I know there are scientific instruments and lenses, filters to use to look at the sun. But I just wanted to get a momentary view of it. I knew it could hurt my eyes.

What did I see? A fiery burning white-hot spot so incredible that it’s frightening to behold. Even at 93 million miles distance, it’s still a sizeable circle in our sky. And although we can read scientists’ description of what’s going on inside this fireball, we get only a slight impression. It’s so big and so hot that if the whole earth fell into it, that would make only a momentary gulp-explosion that would briefly pass from the scene.

No wonder primitive people worshipped the sun. Although it seems a primitive notion, I like to think of God as that sort of object or fiery person. God is so big and so hot and so dangerous, yet also blessing us with all the energy (heat and light) we need in order to live our lives in prosperity or at least in dignity.

What’s the purpose of this kind of pondering? It helps me to keep my own set of ideas, worries, or challenges in some perspective. God is a gracious God, one who knows all about me and still has chosen to love me as well as everyone else. That is a foundation for living that cannot be shaken. All of this is well-based biblical thinking. I’m not creating some new theology. But it helps to make it real for me to consider that sun in every day’s sky, although hidden with clouds on some days.

The days that have many clouds are the days when my faith is most tested. On those days, if I am feeling well, I know it is my calling to remind others who may not be well, that the sun, God, is still there just out of sight, still illuminating the whole sky through the clouds, providing the basis for life itself. And if I am in the pits on one of those days when I’m struggling with the discouragements of life, I hope I can always remember some of the gems of the scripture, like this one:

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing

in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. (Malachi 4:2 NIV)

God is the source of life and even frolicking! I like that notion very much. God not only loves me and you, he intends to make life so well grounded that we can really enjoy it. To me that is good news worth reminding myself of every time I see the sun rise.

Copyright 2019 Stan Hagemeyer