Keeping an earthly perspective

I live in a small village in the British midlands countryside. Each morning I take my two dogs for their walk. If I turn left out of my driveway, I am on a lane that leads out between fields upon fields. As I walk down the lane, I pass several flocks of sheep. The local shepherd's grandson is now getting interested in shepherding and recently bought a small flock of a rare Welsh breed of sheep. They are white all over, except for their heads, which are coal-black. I enjoy seeing them each morning; they are amazing to look at. On any given morning, I will see anywhere from 50-100 rabbits, along with occasional squirrels, foxes, weasels, stoats, pheasants, and a variety of birds that nest in the hedgerows that run along both sides of the lane.

As I pass a couple more fields, I encounter a large chestnut horse and a small Shetland pony of the same colour. A little farther on is a small fishing lake. There are usually at least three or four different varieties of ducks or geese there, or maybe a heron, and sometimes there will be a pair of swans. One of the most amazing sights to see is a pair of swans flying across the sky. During migration season, I will often see entire flocks of geese, in their spectacular "V" formation, flying along the River Trent, which is just a few hundred yards away. This time of year, with the sunrise occurring so late in the morning (around 8.15), I will often have the moon on my left, surrounded by deep blues and purples; and the rising sun on my right, with pinks, yellows, peaches, and red colours that even Monet could never have conceived. Every morning is full of an incredible variety of the beauties of God's creation.

The scene sounds absolutely idyllic, and indeed in many ways it is. I don't let a day go by without thanking God for his wonderful works and for giving me the chance to see it in such an up-close and personal way. There are numerous times when I would prefer to just stay out there for the entire day and kind of forget about everything else.

However, there is another part of this scene that I have neglected to describe. You see, about 400 yards away is a major motorway (4-lane interstate) that runs from London in the south to Edinburgh in the north. And every morning when I'm out in the fields with God and his handiwork, I hear the constant sound of cars and trucks going by. Day by day they bring their pollution, aggression, haste, and noise into that idyllic scene.

In one sense I wish it wasn't there; quiet tranquility would just about complete the ideal setting for my morning walks. But at the same time, I realise that the constant drone of the passing cars serves as a constant reminder that there is a world going by out there, and that I am to engage that world by the grace of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and try to bring a little redemption in some small way. The quiet moments with God in his beautiful countryside mean very little if I am unable to bring something of eternal value to the world that is passing me by day after day after day.

I am reminded of the three disciples who were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. I can relate to Peter's desire to just stay there, build a few tents, and enjoy the revelation of the glory of Christ. But staying there was not God's plan for them. In fact, the moment they came down from the Mount, they encountered a demon-possessed man. The spiritual revelations and glorious experiences of God's presence don't last forever. They often are sent to prepare us for the face-to-face encounters with this fallen, spiritually corrupt world.

I believe that the incarnation of Jesus himself is the best example of this. If anybody was in a place of total satisfaction and glory, it was Christ. Yet, he willingly entered our fallen, polluted, corrupt world to bring redemption and all that it includes. Paul says it like this:

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death--and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion" (Philippians 2:5-8, The Message).

Keeping an earthly perspective means that we don't seek the glory of God simply for what we can get out it, and out of him; rather we seek to bring his glory into the dark corners of our world, into the broken lives and wounded hearts that we encounter in normal, daily lives. I agree: it's easier to go for the idyllic country walk (I would actually prefer a beachside home on the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa). But the nature of the redemptive gospel means that we are here to engage our fallen, hurting world. That probably won't mean great and dramatic scenes for most of us. It will probably occur in the quiet, often mundane realities of life.

Francis of Assisi said of himself, "When I was living in sin, I could scarcely bear even to look at lepers; but the Lord led me among them, and I took pity on them." Francis' first biographer, Thomas of Celano, tells us that Francis admitted that the mere sight of lepers had at one time been so disgusting to him that before he was converted if he saw one of their houses even a couple of miles away, he had to pinch his nostrils. Then one day by the grace and power of the Most High, Francis of Assisi one day encountered a leper and, possessed of a strength greater than his own, he went up to him and kissed him. This event caused Francis to learn humility and to centre his heart on heavenly things.

As we approach another Christmas, chances are that the world out there will not be dramatically changed by looking at another nativity scene or two. However, if we can keep an earthly perspective and bring the effects of our heavenly moments into this fallen world, by the grace of God people may see something of his redemptive love. And the power of the glorified Christ who was willing to become a slave for the redemption of mankind will reach out and touch another life.