When I Consider

I didn’t pay really good attention in my high school history class. This was owing in part to the way my history teacher plastered every square inch of his classroom with interesting photographs. I still remember some. There were kings, queens, castles and maps. There were soldiers and military leaders, vintage cars, and ships. Every picture led my imagination down a meandering path. Sometimes I’d come back to reality uncertain of which country, king, or time period we were currently discussing and my mind would race to catch up, full of questions I was hesitant to ask.

On multiple occasions this one particular boy in my class would raise his hand with a question. He was the confident type who wore a big grin and reclined so low at his desk he looked in danger of slipping out of his chair. The teacher would smile and chuckle at the question and would respond with something like, “I don’t know where you’ve been, but we’ve been talking about Spain.” Or, “you’re in the wrong century. We’ve been talking about the 1600’s.” The confident boy would laugh along with the rest of the class and my face would heat up, just thinking about how close i’d been to asking that same question. Maybe he was distracted by all the pictures on the walls too. 

Even though I paid so little attention in history class, sometimes my imagination wanders back to what I recall of the Crusades. All those people fighting passionately, many believing they were on a mission from God. Sometimes I wonder about the Crusaders. Were they remembering God as they charged straight ahead or had they perhaps forgotten what He was like? And then it occurs to me how easily I forget.

I ran across a verse in Hebrews a few weeks ago—Hebrews 1:3. It says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high…” 

When I consider this—that Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature, because He Himself is God—various scenes play out in my mind. I see Jesus drawing in the sand as a group of men are ready to stone a woman caught in adultery. He says, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”(John 8:7) And those men walk away one at a time, the oldest leaving first. I see Him overturning money tables at the temple where the poorest in the community are being taken advantage of. (Mark 11:15-17) I hear Him calling some of the religious leaders white-washed tombs because they look good on the outside but are rotten within. (Matthew 23:27-28) I watch Him heal the sick and give sight to the blind. (Mark 10:46-52) I see Him kneeling down, giving His time and attention to children, making room for them. (Mark 10:13-16) I hear Him quieting his beloved disciples as He gives honor to the woman weeping at his feet; she loves Him. (Luke 7:36-48) I watch Him walk silently, willingly, as He’s led to His death—misunderstood, mislabeled, unwavering—on a rescue mission that will require all of Him.(Matthew 27:11-14, Isaiah 53:3-6) He’s marked by humility and grace. 

When I recall what He’s like, any arrogance and pride inside me quiets down, and humility stirs, because—no one is quite like Him. With His true nature filling my vision, in my heart I fold up on my knees before Him. From this position, when I turn to my left and to my right, there’s no room for hatred or for looking down on any person. How can I, when I remember the way the God of the whole universe chose to make Himself small and breakable to rescue me?

If I take my eyes off Him for long, my heart wanders as surely as my mind did in history class. And I cease to think and act with humility. 

I can only reflect what I’m looking at. 

Blessings to us this week as we stir each other to remember what our God is like, and as we re-fix our gaze on Him again and again. 

~Amy