"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace."
Along with this quote, the song "Alive Again" by Matt Maher (which is written using this excerpt) have both been awesome reminders lately of what God has done in my life. I don't think any words could better sum up for myself, or any believer for that matter, the way God pursues each of us. C.S. Lewis refers to Jesus as the "Hound of Heaven" in a quote about his conversion. Whatever the case, in the midst of my life I have certain points I look at and see a certain stamp God placed over that event or time. The above is an ever constant reminder that the "Hound of Heaven" busted down the gates of my life, and brought me unto himself.
One such moment I cant get passed (which if you know me you have surely heard the story) is my knee injury from my junior year of high school. Up to the point I had just weeks before had the greatest week of my life at Frontier Ranch (a Young Life Camp). While I would have considered myself a christian at that point (pre-camp even) it was evident God was doing big things in my life. He had surrounded me with an awesome community, and was beginning to show me what a relationship with him looked like. On my part, however, I still was very much consumed with some of the same old things in my life, notably football. Being the one thing I was ever really good at it had become a major idol in my life, especially in high school. It was a source of pride for me as I would run out the tunnel, or make a big play. From middle school on I based all of my goals around it, from playing varsity as a sophomore to one day playing college ball. Whatever the case it was something which was hindering my growth with Jesus.
After accomplishing gaining a starting role I saw everything going "my way". That is when God threw a curve ball. Just 3 days after our first game I tore my ACL and in a moment was done for the season. While my immediate reaction was somewhat negative, I soon began to see the ultimate good which came from the injury. Within that God set the path for my entire life. While in the end my goals were short-sided and ultimately meaningless, God's plan was to begin molding me into who I am today. In particular He showed me that this world would never ultimately satisfy me. To this day I continue to hold fast to that season of my life. It often scares me to think where I would be today had my own plans found success. Now 6 years in the future I'm continually thankful for the moments like this in which God decided to break down the doors of my life and reveal himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment