In which I’m really really focussed — oooh shiny!

I so loved researching and writing about time and eternity yesterday.  I really wanted to keep doing it today. But no – we shall have some self discipline – darnit.

Where did we leave off ?

But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25)

Ooooh that brought me back. I heart that.

Peering into “the perfect law of freedom” which is the law of love.

If you’re wondering why James calls it “law of freedom” and I call it “law of love” it’s all here.

I think I want to cover one more thing about this before I move on.

What I get from this verse is that I need to focus, to see the light shining – and follow that light.

It’s like this…

I have this thing about the planet Venus. It has sentimental value to me. It’s easy to find. It’s the brightest light in the evening sky besides the moon.

I was on Mount Solidad in San Diego. Looking out at the ocean, chatting with Our Lord, watching the blue turn orange, and red and purple. Night was falling and Venus tends to pop up around sunset. I didn’t know it was Venus back then – I just called it “my star”.

And then, there it was – and I smiled.

But then there was another star.

There was “my star” and the other one – almost as bright.

For a while I looked at them both.

At first the other one just twinkled, but the more I looked at it the brighter it became.

“Now that’s a star!” I thought.

Discovery is always exciting.

In only seconds it began to outshine “my star”.

It stole my attention, my gaze was averted, and my eyes focused on the new. bright. thing.

It gleamed.

It seemed I’d had found a new star to follow.

But then came reality.

It wasn’t a star at all,

just a plane.

Just a simple creation,  of the creations,  of the Creator.

Oh boy.

The light became more pronounced against the early evening sky, it got closer and closer, and then…

it just flew right by, a small plane at that.

Gone,

once so bright,

now vanished.

But with it gone my eyes searched for the “my star”. And it was still there, now only brighter than before, and it hadn’t moved, hadn’t flown by.

That’s the “perfect law of love.”

Our Lord has set a star for us to follow.  It shines, but  it’s so easy to get distracted by more brilliant lights, imitation dreams.

I have to be careful about counterfeits that seem more or less than they are.

Even the bad things, if I look at them outside of the perfect law of love get blown all out of proportion.  What is small and non-consequential can grow to huge dimensions. Problems can be magnified and easy “bright” solutions can seem too good to pass by.

There is plenty the world and the ruler of the world can offer to pull me away from my star.

To pull us away from our star.

And there are plenty of “barriers” which can block out the light.

The only way to avoid all the distractions and barriers is to keep myself centered on that light – on that perfect law of love, the “perfect law of freedom”. And peer at it, really focus on it, and see right through it to our Creator and God.

And when I see the distractions,

bring myself  back in line,

point myself in the right direction,

look at the right star

and draw near to God

He draws near to me.

Counterfeits may glitter, but next to the real thing, they show themselves for the cheap fakes they are.

OK!

now I’m refocused

now I’m on target

now I’m not distracted by time and eternity anymore,

now I’m not…

ooooooh shiny!

God bless