Do I understand?

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These days when Jack and I walk the woodsy streets of our neighborhood, many of the trees are marked with hieroglyphics in red paint. Not every tree. Just some, both mature ones and saplings. One tree might have a dot on it, the next a line. Several have X’s, and a few are double-X-ed. Hundreds of different trunks are marked.

Trying to figure it out was impossible, and the marks seemed random… until I got an email from our home association with the explanation. Apparently our trees are threatening the power lines strung among them, and the red marks constitute detailed instructions to tree trimmers. Arborists will take careful note of each symbol before revving up their chain saws, because without obeying the marks, trimming wouldn’t accomplish the goal of the electric company, which is to clear its lines.

Life is full of important symbols, many of which can be understood without language, just like the tree markings. Take road signs, for example. In foreign countries if we understand the universal traffic symbols, we can still read the signs without having to know the language.

But what about signs and symbols we can’t understand?

Scripture is full of them, each one important. Jesus regularly spoke to his listeners through stories in which he wanted his facts to represent something else, demonstrating through symbolism how we should live. Once in a while he’d offer a direct explanation, but mostly he wouldn’t. So as we read Scripture today, what should we do if we can’t understand? What do we do with our resulting confusion?

There are two types of confusion referenced in the Bible: (1) the kind God superimposed on his enemies as a weapon, and (2) the innocent kind we might feel while trying to understand his Word. Although throwing his enemies into confusion was a tactical measure he often used, he has a different approach toward those who love him (like us) who become easily confused. In those cases, he wants to dispel confusion and increase our understanding.

God frequently reminds us that those who earnestly desire to comprehend the great truths of Scripture will be satisfied, though that doesn’t mean we’ll get answers to all our questions when we want them. What it does mean is that we’ll steadily increase in our understanding of him, which then will deeply satisfy us as we wait for explanations of what puzzles us spiritually. He wants us to know that the answers to all our problems are personified in him.

Getting closer in a relationship to Christ is the only sure route, then, to dispelling confusion over the perplexing symbolism of the Bible. Full understanding will only come when we meet him in eternal life.

And getting back to those marked trees in our forests, God didn’t need to read painted symbols to let him know which trees needed trimming. He knew all about it before the spray-painting arborists ever arrived.

“To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness.” (Ecclesiastes 2:26a)

 

 

High Hopes

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Most of my grown children love coffee, and their preference, along with so many others of their generation, is Starbucks. They prefer to grind the beans immediately before brewing, and then they make it so strong, I have to water mine down. When they were all home at Christmas, we were going through quite a few bags of coffee and grinding it with a small, inefficient grinder by poking the end of a scissors into the slot where a lever used to be.

One afternoon I decided to make a pot of coffee, knowing we’d all benefit from the caffeine. I reached toward the top shelf where the old grinder was kept with an open bag of Starbuck’s waiting on the counter. When I pulled the grinder down, its plug nicked the open bag, knocking it to the floor and scattering coffee beans everywhere.

“Oh no!” I said out loud, picturing dust bunnies and dog hair jumping all over the whole mess. On hands and knees I carefully scooped up the cleanest beans and put them back into the bag. After all, the coffee-maker’s filter would catch any unwanted debris. But the rest I swept into a dust pan and dumped into the trash. My good intentions hadn’t done much for the coffee lovers in the house.

We’ve all heard the expression, “He did it with the best of intentions…” which is usually spoken with a serious expression and a shake of the head. Most of us assess whether a deed is good or bad based on the end result, not on the intentions.

God does exactly the opposite. Intentions are everything.

He studies us from the inside out, checking our thoughts and the intent behind every action. If we do something for someone else hoping for a favor in return, for example, our good deed is neutralized. But if we do something we hope will help another and it doesn’t (or possibly even hurts them), our intentions still count for good.

But what about our intentions toward God? Do the same rules apply?

I think they do, which is good news when we fall short of pleasing him or fail to make the right decision. If our intentions are positive, he responds with love and lets us begin again. He’ll even assist us in doing that.

Although my intention that afternoon was good, coffee-all-around turned into coffee-on-the-ground. Repairing that blunder wasn’t difficult, but what about starting over after our more serious mistakes? That doesn’t have to be difficult either, because if our intentions were good, God will sort it out. He’ll make things even better than a cup of good, strong coffee.

“The power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions. I obviously need help! I can will it, but I can’t do it. Is there no one who can do anything for me? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.” (Romans 7:18,24,25, The Message)

Radiating Love

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Once we flip our month-to-month calendars from January to February, thoughts of red hearts and Valentines liven up the winter doldrums. But when I returned from England recently, I was greeted by the lights of our Christmas tree. I hadn’t had time to dismantle it before racing off in mid-January, though I did box up everything but the tree. It had still looked and smelled fresh, and I knew its lights would be a warm welcome home.

The morning after getting back, I studied the still-pretty tree in the pre-dawn darkness of an early jet lagged morning. What a shame to take it down. And then I thought of February… and hearts. Although I have a plastic bin filled with red decorations, I hadn’t opened it since we’d lived in the Chicago area, 3 Valentine Days back. And suddenly I wanted to take a look.

When I opened the bin, its red hearts seemed to say, “Unpack us, and spread the love!” Right on top was a bag of red heart-shaped light-toppers meant to snap onto a string of tiny white lights. I began pulling Christmas ornaments from the tree, leaving the wintery ones: snowflakes, snowmen, mini-sleds, icicles, and anything with a heart on it. When I popped the red toppers onto the tiny white lights, and voila! We had a Valentine tree!

As the bin emptied, the cottage took on a red-heart glow. I reminisced about the fun of decorating at our old house with the children and felt like a kid again myself. When I’d finished, “love” radiated from every room.

God enjoys decorating, too, and after Christmas and Easter, Valentines Day surely must be his next favorite. He’s placed heart-shaped decorations throughout his Word so as we read it, we’ll feel his love radiating from every page. To quote, “God’s love is unfailing; his love reaches to the heavens; he directs his love to us; he delivers those he loves; he is forgiving and abounding in love; his love stands firm forever; he crowns us with love and compassion; God is love.”

In hundreds of love-expressions, God lets us know what he thinks of us. When I hear people say they aren’t interested in a relationship with this God, I’m astounded. Why would anyone turn from such potent love? Instead we often substitute conditional, full-of-holes human love that disappoints and devastates.

Only God’s love can perfectly fill the love-need within each of us. He knows us completely but loves us still, no one individual more than another. As a matter of fact, he loves us even as much as he loves his own Son, proving it by surrendering Jesus to death for our sakes.

The hearts scattered about my house are rinky-dink compared to the true love of God, but they’re a reminder that he loved me before I even knew him. And now that I know him, I have the immense privilege of loving him back.

“We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)