Cone

Our poor little dog had knee replacement surgery a little over a week ago.  The veterinarian told us that he most likely fell on it in just the wrong way to make it happen.  

So now he has to be carried up and down the stairs, and can't run or jump for six weeks.  And, to add insult to injury, he has to wear one of those big plastic cones around his head to keep him from worrying at his stitches.  

When he has his cone on, he can't see what's happening to his left and right, and has to constantly keep shifting his head back and forth as he walks in order to see where he's going.  

As I was watching our little dog navigating his restricted environment this morning, I started thinking about how limited my own perceptions are--especially when it comes to experiencing God around me.  

I think most of walk around in life as if we're wearing spiritual cones that limit our perception, and keep us focused mostly on the six inches in front of our face.  

And then we begin to believe that the limited reality that we are experiencing is all there is to know.  We lose sight of the Divine all around us because we grow complacent and comfortable with our narrowed, limited focus.  

Philip Yancey once wrote that when it comes to our perceptions, there are no "walled-off areas."  We can trust God with all of our reality--even the reality we can't fully comprehend.  

May you have the courage to remove whatever is limiting your sight and experience of God today.  Open your vision to a wider view that takes in all of the Divine all around you.  

May you be filled with fierce and intractable joy as you discover a wider, more colorful and verdant world--a world ready for your gifts of God-given ministry and mission.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.