At least six times each week I use a back road into our college. Today I saw a new “No Passing Zone” sign. I asked my wife how long it has been there. “Years” was her response. “Years!!!” So much for being observant. At least I am not alone. One of the psychology texts I use explains how our minds protect themselves from being over-stimulated. Our senses are continually feeding our brains billions of bits of data. To avoid overload our brains subconsciously sort out what to notice. We can see something hundreds of times and our brains reject any input–visual, auditory, etc. No two people see the same event. Everything is filtered.
I have some friends who see God working continually in their lives. I have other friends who are just the opposite. For these folk God isn’t much interested in them. The difference isn’t with God. He is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. The difference is our personal filter. He is there whether we see Him or not. Psalm 138 says it so well, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
There is a great old song that goes like this. “Open my eyes that I might see glimpses of truth thou hast for me. . . Open my eyes, illumine me.” Paul assures us we do not yet see things clearly. In I Corinthians 13 he tells us we are looking into a steamy mirror. However, the Good News is little by little the steam evaporates.
Written by Roger Bothwell on February 12, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org