Here Comes The Sun

There is something about the sun. 

 

We, in Britain, are relatively sun-deprived for most of the year.  It is no wonder, then, that we get so excited at the slightest sign of sunshine.

 

Today has been such a day: despite still relatively crisp conditions, I have seen people out enjoying the sun in shorts and T-shirts.  I was not one of them.

 

There is something about the sun.

 

It makes us feel joyful and optimistic.  We feel hopeful and inspired and enthusiastic.  Everyone is in a better mood when the sun comes out.

 

Isaiah described how God's glory shines on His people in the same way that the sun shines on us:

 

        "Put your face in the sunlight.

        God’s bright glory has risen for you.

        The whole earth is wrapped in darkness,

        all people sunk in deep darkness,

        But God rises on you,

        his sunrise glory breaks over you."

 

        [Isaiah 60:1 MSG]

 

In Britain, we can get so used to the dark, gloomy, grey weather which is so common in our country.  We can forget what the sun is and how it makes us feel.  In a spiritual sense, we can get used to life feeling dull and gloomy and depressing, too.  We live in the shadows.  We forget that life was ever different and we doubt that it will ever be different again.

 

But when we see the sun, everything changes.

 

And when we see the Son, everything changes too.

 

 

 

 

Blurred Vision

What a beautiful, sunny Autumnal day.

Clear blue skies, a crisp breeze and bright, warming sunshine.

Annoyingly, I've had something on my sunglasses all day.  A blurry spot which has made the vision in my right eye really hazy and fuzzy.

I haven't been able to remove it, despite repeatedly rubbing it and trying to clean the lens.

I could still see, but not perfectly.

It reminded me of Jesus' message about judging other people:

"Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye."

[Matthew 7:2-5 NLT]

When our own vision is blurred or distorted in some way, it prevents us from seeing things as they really are.  It prevents us from seeing ourselves or others as they really are.  And it prevents us from seeing God as He really is.

Jesus says until we get our own vision sorted, we won't be able to help or lead others.   I don't think that means that we have to be perfect before we can help others to see, but we need to be aware of our own areas of blindness.   We need to acknowledge our own short-sightedness and our need for help with our vision.

Only then will we be able to see properly.  Only then will we see things as they really are.

Aftersun

[If I was planning out the order of these posts, today's would follow on nicely from one a couple of weeks ago (the last time the sun made an appearance): "Transformed". If you haven't read it, why not do so now?

[http://thegoldenandthegrey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/transformed.html - what a lovely little bit of self-promotion!]

Anyone who saw me yesterday afternoon or evening may have thought I was in fancy dress as a lobster.

Unused to the sun in recent weeks, I had forgotten to apply suncream before spending the afternoon outside.  By the time I realised, I thought I would be okay: I don't usually burn.  But by the end of the evening, my neck and arms were radiating and pulsing with heat and I was glowing like a beacon.

It was not a good look.

Thankfully one of my friends supplied me with aftersun which I applied regularly and liberally and by the end of the evening things had settled down a bit.

I have always known that the purpose of applying Aftersun was to protect and moisturise our skin, but I was surprised to discover it is now also being promoted as an effective way to "prolong your tan".

It got me thinking: What do I do to protect and prolong the things I learn when I have been bathing in God's light?

When we feel God speaking to us, or giving us a verse, or a picture or a word, do we simply enjoy it for a moment and then let it fade?  Or do we use a spiritual form of 'Aftersun' to make sure that what we have learnt doesn't disappear when we go through dark and difficult times?

How do we make what we learn stick?

James tells his readers to act on what they've learnt, to put it into practice. 

"Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

[James 1:22-25 NLT emphasis mine]

It's the same with us: in order to get things to really stick, we need to do something with what we've learned.  Write it down somewhere [I like writing things on my mirror], journal it, share it with others,  live it out.

Find a way to make it real in your own life.

Find a way to make it stick.

Transformed

If you are British, let me remind you of something with which we all used to be familiar.


The sun.


Pronounced as in "bun" or "done", it is a burning ball of gas around which the earth rotates and upon which all life depends.


If you live in the UK, you may well have forgotten that this exists, as it has been many months since the sun has been sighted on our island. In days gone by, we used to talk about "sunbathing" and getting a "suntan". The summer months would be spent relaxing in the garden or on the beach, reading a good book and soaking up the sun. And at the end of a long day in the sun, the more "sunned" your appearance would be.


It's the same with our relationship with God - the more time we spend with God in His presence, the more like Him we become.

"As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light."

[Matthew 17:2 NLT]

And as we spend more time in the presence of the Son - worshipping Him, reading His word and praying - we, too, will be transformed. Our faces will shine and reflect His glory.

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory."

[2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV]

Whilst we don't stand much chance of getting a suntan this Summer (in Britain at least), we can always bathe in the light of the Son and be transformed into His likeness.