Through a Glass Darkly
He raced across the room, leaping into the chair, coming to an immediate stop. Every fiber of his being was on high alert. Watching with laser attentiveness, he stalked his prey. Without warning he pounced into action, seemingly flying up the back of the chair, up the curtain, paws outstretched, certain of capturing the bird.
Falling back into the chair with empty paws, he quickly regained his footing and watched intently once again. He could see the shadowed movement of the bird as it flittered out of reach. Creeping to the back of the chair, he waited . . . and waited . . . and snatched . . . air. All he got was air.
His brother had been watching from across the room. He jumped onto the table beside the chair, and stood silently watching the bird as well. The neither one allowed the bird to leave their sight--watching its every movement. As the bird moved from its perch, lifting its wings into flight, they both sprung into the air, paws outstretched, straining for the bird.
THUNK! They hit the window with such force it shook. Their bodies fell to the chair and table once more. They each looked at the other trying to determine how the other had thwarted their effort to capture the bird.
The younger of the two caught his balance and snatched at the bird once more as it flew past. He could see its form, but something kept him from capturing his prize! Not to be outdone, the older cat threw himself toward the bird once more . . . only to bounce back to the floor.
Their mother hid her laughter behind her hand. "Boys, you will never get him. He's on the other side of the window." Shoving the curtain to the side both cats ignore her--stalking the bird once more as they tried once more to capture the bird. Stretching their bodies as far up the window as possible they watched the bird and it flew past them and landed in its nest in the bush just out of their reach through the glass.
After more failed attempts, the younger cat slunk off, throwing angry glances at his brother--not sure how, but knowing it had to be the older cat's fault he failed to capture his prey. With the curtain once again in place, he could see the shadow of the bird flying back and forth--torturing him.
Words from 1 Corinthians 13 came to her mind, ". . . now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." The writer knew that our understanding is limited at this time--like the cats' understanding of the bird was limited. They could see the bird. They knew what it was. Yet it remained out of their reach and they just couldn't quite understand why.
We can see glimpses of God. We think we have a clear understanding of God. We interpret what we know to be true, study and watch. Yet there is so much that we still don't understand.
We grasp at what we think we know. We try to grab God and fit God into a box of our understanding . . . our making. And we fail. Each time we think we understand all there is to know of God, something new is revealed. Certainty evades us, leaving us with nothing but air in our hands. Isaiah must have experienced this frustrating truth as well. He wrote:
I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them (Isaiah 55:8-11).
God's ways are muddled for now. We cannot entirely understand the heart of God. So for now we must accept our limited vision. Resting assured some day we will truly know God.
God of glory and grace, we so often think we have a clear understanding of you. We try to capture your essence and box you in. Yet you continue to elude our judgment. Help us to seek you . . . to seek your ways . . . and to open ourselves to understanding you more when we are "face to face." So be it. Amen.
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