Our Father is not like the child who made a paper airplane. He did not form us out of the dust, send us into flight, and watch how we land. He's not timing us to see how long it takes until we descend (or crash). He has always been, and will always be, tied to His creation. Adam & Eve were the beginning of a species that would walk in unique relationship with their Creator. His image & likeness would always be represented in them. Their offspring were destined to fill the Earth with His glory. However, much like the paper airplane, they fell from the heights they were created to soar in. They neglected one of the basic rules of life: Relationship with their Father held everything they would ever need.
The Father did not cease relating to them. He continued as Provider, Protector, and continued Sustaining life. He would eventually find His way into their darkness - their fall. It would take some time. He would overcome some great obstacles. But He was committed. He never relented. He never scrapped the work to start all over. He would always have, in essence, what He had created. And this creation was meant to thrive.
When I read through verses like the one from Colossians, I'm reminded that the whole of life is not separate from the Creator. All things were created through Jesus & for Jesus. In His life, in the work of atonement & in His resurrection from the dead, He was given preeminence. He has become the firstborn of all creation. While the first Adam was a living soul, the Last Adam became a life giving spirit. He would sustain. He would preserve. He would hold all things together. We are His crowning achievement. We are the inheritance of the Lord.
It seems as though we recognize the glory of God in birth. There is something about watching a child emerge from the womb that causes us to be in awe of the Creator. We are reminded of our partnership with Him. He created life & gave us a part in it. However, somewhere in the middle, we seem to lose touch with this sense of awe. Somehow, our minds shift to the idea that we are doing it all on our own. We lose the wonder of connection. Much like Adam & Eve, we forget how intimately tied our Heavenly Father is to us. Somewhere in the end we tend to find peace. We often find God so intimately close in death. We feel His peace. We see our loved ones no longer struggling. He's there. But the question remains: Where was He in the middle?
Jesus declares that He is the Alpha & Omega - the Beginning & the End.
Scripture states that He is the Pioneer & Perfecter of Faith - He initiated it & is unequaled in its accomplishment.
What we often miss in those statement is that we cannot go from A to Z without hitting everything in between. He has lived our life. He has carried our burdens. He has experienced the darkness & was able to shine throughout. This is why the Apostle Paul could declare, "In Him we live & move & have our being." He was reminded that the "I am with you always" of Jesus is the connector to the whole of life. He was there in the beginning, He will be there in the end, but it's in the middle that we truly experience the uniqueness of this relationship. The discovery is only a part of the journey. Then the revealing can begin.
The writer of Ecclesiastes remind us to "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth..." It was a call back to this connection we have with the One who has made us in His image. He knew the pitfalls of life. He knew how easy it was to neglect this understanding. He wanted those who read His words to never get to place where life was darkened & without pleasure. We were created to live in Him. To live with the awareness of His closeness. To see within ourselves & others the image & likeness. We were never meant to go at it alone.
One of the greatest secrets of life is practicing oneness. Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you..." I love the definition of the word "abide." It means (among other things) "to continue to be present" & "to remain as one, not to become another or different." This is the Lord's way of saying "don't disappear on Me." Practicing oneness has so much to do with our mindset. It's all about awareness. It's reminding yourself who you are & whose you are. It means to dwell in this understanding. I am in Him & He is in me. This is where we see the fruit of relationship. This is where we encounter the connection. This is the life we were meant to live - what we were created to enjoy. This is Him right in the messy middle of our lives. This is Him reminding us to stay connected to the source of life.
So...today I rest. I rest in the awareness that He is with me. I rest in the security that comes from His love. I feel His presence. I'm in awe of all that He has accomplished. I hear His voice. I experience His life. This is not a form of emotionalism. This is more than just an experience that will soon be fleeting. This is life wrapped up in Him. And...today...I am AWARE!!!
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