Gaining Understanding

 

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” *

I spent most of my life in sunny California; so, after we moved to Michigan I expected it to be warm outside whenever the sun was shining. It only took a few times of walking outdoors and getting hit by a frigid blast of air to realize that sunshine didn’t necessarily mean warm weather in our new location.

My understanding of seasons was altered too. The longest season of the year was now winter instead of summer! Often it was well into April before heavy jackets, long johns and winter clothes could be stored away.

Of course, I’m seeing things from a native Californian’s point of view. It still surprises me to see people wearing shorts and t-shirts outside when it’s cold and blustery.

Our understanding of the world around us is often based on past experiences we’ve had. However, there are times in our lives when our understanding needs to be expanded or changed.

One day when TJ the lab and I were walking around the neighborhood, we passed a house with several decorative farm animals scattered among the flower beds in the front yard: a dairy cow, pig, rooster, chicken and a sheep. I was sure that the couple who lived there must have formerly been country people like Al and me.

 When I asked the wife about it, she told me that they had always lived in the big city; but, while browsing the internet she saw the cute farm animals and had to have them! On another occasion, when TJ and I walked by that same house, I was sure that the decorative dairy cow was mooing!

After stopping to listen, I realized that the man next door was using a leaf blower to clear off his driveway! I was used to hearing cows moo and jumped to the wrong conclusion!

Another hasty conclusion was reached in a recent experience with our printer.  Because I used the printer to generate many homemade greeting cards, Al and I decided it would be worthwhile to enroll in a program that would ship ink to our home whenever it was beginning to run low.

It was working out well, until the system in our old computer could no longer support the printing program I used for the cards. I decided to go back to buying cards and cancelled the ink deliveries. At that time, Al and I ordered new ink cartridges the way we had always done in the past.

While trying to use up the remaining ink in the old cartridges before the program ended, I noticed that all of the colors seemed to be fading. Whereas they were clear before, now the images came out streaked, blurred and completely unacceptable.

After calling to get tech help and trying several times to clean the printheads inside the printer, the results seemed to be worse than previously. Maybe we needed a new printer.

 Al and I decided not to buy one until the set of new cartridges arrived. After they were installed, I held my breath as the first copy was made. It was fine, no blurring or streaking at all. The problem was with the cartridges after all, which had probably been disabled once the program was discontinued.

When it comes to understanding  God’s character and His ways, we humans also tend to have misconceptions, seeing Him as made in our image rather than the other way around.  God’s thoughts, ways, plans, yes even His timetable are different than ours.

When Jesus was getting near the time of his death, he tried to prepare his disciples by telling them what was going to happen to him. Peter refused to accept it, even rebuking Jesus with the words, “This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22b-23)

Jesus saw otherwise, telling Peter that he “did not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” After three years of being discipled by Jesus, Peter still didn’t understand.

As with Peter, so it is with us. God has revealed Himself through the scriptures and through Jesus, His Son. By coming to know Jesus personally as Lord and Savior, we can begin to understand…it just takes time!

*Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV 

(Pictured above is our Grandson Kevin, fishing in the pond at our country 'ranch' in Springville. and below are pictures from our niece Hayley of her family's ranch near Tehachapi CA and their "for" real farm animals! )