Standing Under the Waterfall
Standing Under the Waterfall
"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
Matthew 7:9-11
Our Father in heaven has blessed us in more ways than we can count, or even imagine. His word is keeping us alive, providing for us our daily bread and granting us strength and grace to get through each day. His tremendous love and care for us is made clear in His sacrifice of His Son for us, miserable sinners. And yet His blessings are infinite, and as finite creatures we can only begin to grasp how much and how well He blesses us.
Mr. Callihan has compared the blessings of Christ to a waterfall; we are standing under it and it is completely drenching us with more than we could possibly 'use'. Many Christians become rather miserly with their blessings, attempting to collect them and grab hold of them; figuratively rushing about trying to find buckets to 'keep' their blessings in. But this is a wrong attitude towards God's many blessings. He knows that we cannot possibly fathom or enjoy all the blessings of this life at once, finite as we are; He simply wants us to stand under the waterfall and give thanks to Him for it, let it soak us in grace and permeate our souls with thanksgiving. My grandpa has told me many times to hold everything God gives us with an open hand, like a butterfly; look at it, wonder at it, enjoy it, but do not clutch it, for that will destroy it and make it difficult to let it go if God sees fit to take it away. Augustine echoes this philosophy in his Confessions: "Let my soul praise You for these things, O God, Creator of them all; but the love of them, which we feel, through the sense of the body, must not be like glue to bind my soul to them. For they continue on the course that is set for them and leads to their end, and if the soul loves them and wishes to be with them and find its rest in them, it is torn by desires that can destroy it." When once we place our identity in a creation rather than its Creator, we have fallen into idol worship and strayed from our chief end. Continually giving thanks with an open heart keeps us from this sin and anchors our heart to the Giver, not what is given.
This is why Paul encourages us to give thanks in everything. "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." This is not a self-serving command; He is telling us that to do what we were made to do, we must give thanks. Because in order to fulfill our chief end, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we must glorify Him for all His good works. It is part of our job as humans, to give thanks to Him for all His wonderful works.
It is a strange balance between fully enjoying and glorying in the goodness He pours out upon us and yet being ready to let Him withdraw it in the blink of an eye. In those moments it is easy to forget that the blessing we miss is a drop in the ocean of His grace and mercy; we have simply to be grateful that it was given for a time and remember that the absence of that gift has not in any way lessened the flood of his infinite grace and mercy upon us. He will always be giving us more than we could possibly deserve or comprehend; His grace will always be sufficient, and His love will never fail.
"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
Matthew 7:9-11
Our Father in heaven has blessed us in more ways than we can count, or even imagine. His word is keeping us alive, providing for us our daily bread and granting us strength and grace to get through each day. His tremendous love and care for us is made clear in His sacrifice of His Son for us, miserable sinners. And yet His blessings are infinite, and as finite creatures we can only begin to grasp how much and how well He blesses us.
Mr. Callihan has compared the blessings of Christ to a waterfall; we are standing under it and it is completely drenching us with more than we could possibly 'use'. Many Christians become rather miserly with their blessings, attempting to collect them and grab hold of them; figuratively rushing about trying to find buckets to 'keep' their blessings in. But this is a wrong attitude towards God's many blessings. He knows that we cannot possibly fathom or enjoy all the blessings of this life at once, finite as we are; He simply wants us to stand under the waterfall and give thanks to Him for it, let it soak us in grace and permeate our souls with thanksgiving. My grandpa has told me many times to hold everything God gives us with an open hand, like a butterfly; look at it, wonder at it, enjoy it, but do not clutch it, for that will destroy it and make it difficult to let it go if God sees fit to take it away. Augustine echoes this philosophy in his Confessions: "Let my soul praise You for these things, O God, Creator of them all; but the love of them, which we feel, through the sense of the body, must not be like glue to bind my soul to them. For they continue on the course that is set for them and leads to their end, and if the soul loves them and wishes to be with them and find its rest in them, it is torn by desires that can destroy it." When once we place our identity in a creation rather than its Creator, we have fallen into idol worship and strayed from our chief end. Continually giving thanks with an open heart keeps us from this sin and anchors our heart to the Giver, not what is given.
This is why Paul encourages us to give thanks in everything. "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." This is not a self-serving command; He is telling us that to do what we were made to do, we must give thanks. Because in order to fulfill our chief end, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we must glorify Him for all His good works. It is part of our job as humans, to give thanks to Him for all His wonderful works.
It is a strange balance between fully enjoying and glorying in the goodness He pours out upon us and yet being ready to let Him withdraw it in the blink of an eye. In those moments it is easy to forget that the blessing we miss is a drop in the ocean of His grace and mercy; we have simply to be grateful that it was given for a time and remember that the absence of that gift has not in any way lessened the flood of his infinite grace and mercy upon us. He will always be giving us more than we could possibly deserve or comprehend; His grace will always be sufficient, and His love will never fail.
Good to wake up to this for my quiet time. :) Love you.
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