Seeing with the eyes of Faith
Dr. Kin West shares this story: The church’s pastor introduced a guest minister at the evening service. An elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began his story. “A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast, when a fast-approaching storm blocked any attempt to reach shore. The three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.”
The old man paused, noticing two teenagers listening intently. “Grabbing a rescue line, the father faced the most excruciating decision of his life: Which boy would he throw the rope to? He had only seconds. He knew his son was a Christian… and he knew his son’s friend was not. As the father shouted, ‘I love you, son!’ he threw the lifeline to his son’s friend.
“By the time he pulled him back to the capsized boat, his own son had disappeared beneath the raging waves into the darkness of the night. His body was never recovered. The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus. But he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into eternity without Him.
“How great is the love of God,” the old man continued softly, “that He would do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we could have salvation and eternal life.
“I urge you to accept His offer of rescue… and take hold of the lifeline He is throwing to you right now.” With that, the old man sat down.
Minutes later, the two teenagers approached the old man. “That was a nice story,” one said politely, “but I don’t think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son hoping the other boy would become a Christian.” The old man nodded. “You've got a point,” he said with a gentle smile. “In today’s world, it really doesn’t seem realistic, does it?”
He looked down at his worn Bible, then back at the boys. “But I stand here today to tell you this: That story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see… I was that father. And your pastor is my son’s friend.”
“When you begin to see with the eyes of faith, something extraordinary happens. You start to realize that miracles are not rare exceptions. They are happening all around you. And grace, once you become aware of it, is everywhere.” (Matthew Kelly.)
t is hard to believe, but God created us so that we could share the joys of eternity with him. And God blessed us with family and church members around us who share the same faith we have. We gather strength from them and their example, even if we are miles from home and our faith origins.
As brothers and sisters in Christ we face life’s challenges with courage and faith. Our hope in the Lord is constant. We need to accept the word which was planted in us to save our souls. To ignore that word is like looking in a mirror, then moving off and immediately forgetting what we looked like. (James1:19-25).
We must accept our faith story and live lives of action based on the truth. Our life’s journey continues more richly as we get in tune with our spirituality. We feed the spirit within us with weekly worship, daily prayer and Christian action.
(578 words)
