Jesus and me and the bumblebee

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-12)

 

 

I can’t wait for the warmer weather to arrive! I long for the sight of a field of flowers; big, tall trees of green; blue skies; white puffy clouds and bright sunshine. My eyes are like a wide angle lens on a camera – taking it all in. Then zooming in on the leaves, even the bark! And the flowers! Each and every pretty little flower. Zooming in to the very texture of the velvety petals … and the seemingly giant bumblebee! Whaa …? Bees sting! Bees hurt! And close up they have an ugly face! Focusing on that – all sense of joy and peace are gone. Zoomed in so that its ugly face is all I see … no beauty in my narrowed vision. But when I zoom back out again, the ugly face gets lost in the beauty again. Still there I’m sure. The bumblebee is still very much there but amidst all the other natural beauty, its weight, its magnitude is greatly diminished.

 

Me. How often do I zero in on my mistakes, failures and sin? How often do I zoom in until it’s all I can see of me? But because of Christ living in me, there is more to me than my sins. Are my sins still “there”? Well, yes. They happened. But as a single teardrop can get lost in the ocean, as the bumblebee’s ugly face is lost in the midst of flowers and trees and sky – so our sins do not totally define us.

 

Jesus. As far as the east is from the west. The ultimate zoom out. For you.

 

Do as Jesus does. For yourself. And for the others you meet. Seek the beauty of the whole. Realize we are whole persons made up of a lot of things. Sin is one thing. Broaden your view and see the Christ in you and your neighbor. Take it all in.