Seeing Creation

Amy Carmichael was a Christian missionary to India for over fifty years.  A couple of days ago Philip Yancey posted a passage from one of Carmichael’s writings that I had not seen before.  The words spoke to me in a powerful way.  She said, “As my thoughts were occupied, I found myself on the shore of the sea. And I took a grain of sand from the miles of sand about me and I held it in my hand. Then I knew that my desire for the presence of my Lord was like a little grain for smallness in comparison with my Lord’s desire to come under my roof; for that was like the measure of measureless sands.  And as my thoughts followed this great thought, Jesus, my Lord, answered and said to me, ‘With desire I have desired to come to you.’”

The fact that I was so touched by these words may have had something to do with the fact that I recently did a good bit of photography on beautiful sand beaches in South Carolina and Georgia.  It was not hard for me to visualize “the miles of sand” she spoke of.  Nor was it hard for me to relate to her feeling that her desire for the presence of Christ in her life was inconsequential compared to his desire to come under her roof.   I doubt that Carmichael’s desire was actually small.  I’d like to think mine isn’t either.  But when any of us compare our desire for communion with God to God’s desire for communion with us we always come up short.  Very short!

I think I am pretty much always aware of this vast difference in God’s desire and my own but during Holy Week it is magnified exponentially.  During this week I am forced to consider how the God who created the heavens and the earth humbled himself and took on human flesh.  Not only that, once he did so he willingly took up a cross and died so that your sins and mine might be forgiven.  John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”   The thing that amazes me so much about this is that Jesus not only willingly laid down his life for his friends, he also laid down his life for his enemies.  He literally poured out his life so that he might come under our roof.  If we were to ask him why he did such a thing, we too might hear him say, “With desire I have desired to come to you.”

When I consider what God has done for me and all the rest of us to show his desire for us, I truly feel that my desire for him is only a grain of sand compared to “the measure of measureless sands.”  I am humbled by this recognition and so very grateful for a God who still desires to come under my roof despite my reluctance to allow him in more.  At the same time I am convicted to find ways to open the door of my heart wider to him.  I hope you will be as well.

–Chuck

(I took the three pictures above on my recent visit to Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.)

Apparently a bunch of people around here have been “dreaming of a white Christmas” because we’re supposed to get several inches of snow tonight.   Since I have a lot of holiday traveling to do in the days ahead I’m not as thrilled about that as I might have been.  Following a quick trip to western Kentucky to visit my family we will be heading south to Florida to visit my wife’s family.  I guess we’ll have to make the transition from white snow to white sandy beaches.

A couple of days ago I came across a passage by Amy Carmichael that I’d like to share with you.  She writes, “As my thoughts were thus occupied, I found myself on the shore of the sea.  And I took a grain of sand from the miles of sand about me and I held it in my hand.  Then I knew that my desire for the presence of my Lord was like a little grain for smallness in comparison with my Lord’s desire to come under my roof; for that was like the measure of the measureless sands.  And as my thoughts followed this great thought, Jesus my Lord answered and said to me, ‘With desire I have desired to come to you.’”

As I read this I couldn’t help but think about those sandy beaches I’d soon be seeing but even more Carmichael’s word reminded me of the real reason for Christmas.  Christmas is an annual reminder that God’s desire to come under our roof was great.  If we listen carefully on this most holy day we can each hear our Lord say, “With desire I have desired to come to you.”  Christ did, indeed, come under our roof that first Christmas long ago.  He came as Immanuel—God with us, and he remains Immanuel—God with us to this very day.

I’m afraid that my desire for the Lord is often like Amy’s—lacking, not at all what it should be.  How wonderful it is to know that like the grains of sand on the seashore God’s desire for me (and you) remains immeasurable.  Tonight my prayer comes from the familiar Christmas hymn, Away in a Manger: “Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray.  Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.”  My wish for each of you is a very merry and blessed Christmas.  May Christ’s desire to be near you be evident this Christmas and throughout the New Year.

–Chuck

(I took the image above at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida.)

In one of Amy Carmichael’s books she offers the following stories of “the pilgrim.”  “The pilgrim worried that sometimes he would not have much time to care for his love-relationship with God.  Then the Lord spoke to him, and answered his unspoken question: ‘Do you have only one minute?  Hem it with quietness.  Do not spend it in thinking how little time you have.  I can give you much in one minute.’” “The pilgrim sat by the water, and his dear Lord said to him: ‘As the ripples of the river glance up to the light, let your heart glance up to Me in little looks of love very often through the day.’”

In these busy days leading up to Christmas some of us might find ourselves lamenting that we do not have much time to spend with the One whose birth we celebrate.  Carmichael’s first story may be of help to us.  If we have just a minute to give to Christ that can be enough if we will fully engage him in that minute. 

Carmichael’s second story also offers us wonderful advice.  We can find all around us in nature reminders that will direct our thoughts to Christ.  No, we may not have a lot of time at the moment to devote to Christ but like “ripples of the river glance up to the light” we can turn our thoughts to Christ from time to time and offer him expressions of worship and love.

I know I’ve said it before but I truly do believe that by paying attention to God’s Creation we can find ourselves moved to prayer and worship.  A single star in the sky might remind us of the majestic light that led the Magi to Bethlehem.  The sight of snow may call to our mind the prophet’s promise, “though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow” and how Jesus came to secure the forgiveness of our sins.  If we live in rural areas the sighting of cattle or sheep might lead us to ponder the lowly manner in which Christ came into this world, being born in a stable.

We may all be busy right now and find it hard to spend extended periods of time in communion with God, but we can still steal minutes to turn our thoughts toward “the Word made flesh.”  I suspect when we do so we will discover, along with Amy Carmichael, that God can give us much in one minute.

–Chuck

(The image above is of Little Clear Creek in Bell County, Kentucky.)