The Crisp Line

Daily Post:   Crisp

There is a fine crisp line separating knowledge from wisdom, comprehension from understanding, and effective communication and meaningless nonsense.  It sometimes has to do with focus, or the ability to see beyond the breaks and shadows, to discover the true meaning of what’s being said.  This image is a perfect example.  Did you read the dark side as a complete thought opposed to the lighter side?  It certainly can be seen as two complete thoughts, although the lighter side seems strange by itself.  It could make sense to those who see “art” in these separate ways.  However, if you did read it as two thoughts, now go back and read the whole thing straight across, to see the subtle shift beyond the crisp dividing line at the edge of the stone.  Fascinating how the intent of the artist changes with complete understanding of the phrasing, isn’t it?

Just as in this artwork of stone, understanding and wisdom come in life by being willing to let go of preconceived ideas or accepted traditional dogmas, and view people, conversations, and the world around us differently.  We need to look for purpose and intention, as well as for meaning and understanding.  While the crisp lines that separate shadows and lighted areas seem to differentiate truth, the reality of what “is,” is often found not in seeing black and white, but the subtle shades of grey that make up the whole.

There are those in this world who upon hearing the name Jesus Christ of Nazareth, jeer and sneer, shout and spew, denying His divinity and proclaiming Him just a mad man of the 1st century.  The say He was a liar, beggar, and the worst deceiver who’s ever lived.  Others, hear these angry declarations and become incensed at the blasphemy of it all.  These have so focused their attention on His divinity that they lose sight of His humanity.  They forget that He was bound by the same physical, emotional, and human limitations that bind us all.  He had to eat, sleep, rest, and seek solitude alone with the Father, in order to become the MAN capable of fulfilling God’s plan for salvation.

The REALITY of the nature of Jesus is that He was fully God (divine) and fully MAN (just like us) with one clear and crisp difference.  This one MAN, Jesus, did things perfectly.  His words were always perfect.  His thoughts were always perfect.  His emotions were always perfect.  His actions were always perfect.  He was perfect.  The hard and fast, crisp difference, between Jesus and me is crystal clear… I’m not perfect.  Neither are you.

Rather than seeing what we want to see, or just hearing what we want to hear, maybe it’s time we started looking for truth, and listening for truth.  On capital hill, or the election in the UK, in the south China sea, or the middle east… were people to put aside their cultural dogmas, their petty preconceptions, their personal agendas, and their pride… well, how crisply exhilarating would that be?  These are nice thoughts, but let’s come back to planet earth, and talk about matters closer to home.

It’s what we do, really, when things are ugly in our 10-foot circle, we deflect by focusing on what’s wrong “out there” in the “world” because we just don’t want to deal with what’s wrong in our own personal space.  The things around us that need addressing are fuzzy and messy, whereas if someone would just ask us, with the clarity of a crisp mountain breeze we could tell them how to fix the world.  Ha, what a joke.  We are the world.  Please don’t tell me everything in your life is perfect, I know better.  Mine isn’t.

So I strive to seek God’s wisdom, God’s grace, and God’s favor on a daily basis, by yielding my pride, my agendas, and my life to His Lordship.  In doing so, earthly troubles bother me less, and eternal matters are more in my thoughts.  The crisp joy of life follows, and I love it.

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:16
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

How about it?  Why don’t you join me in the pursuit of the crisp joy of life!

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