Senses for the Journey

God is not physically present in the way our family or friends are, and that can be a stumbling block to faith.  He cannot be seen, touched, heard or felt in person, and believing in something not tangibly present can be an obstacle to someone who is struggling.  But I was thinking last night about the ways in which we do, in fact, use our senses to interact with him, and just as importantly, how he uses our senses to interact with us.  Faith is not a one way street, it is a relationship, an interaction, a correspondence with our God, and it goes in both directions, if we open our senses to him.

I see God in the faces of my children, who are still a miracle to me every time I lay my eyes on them. I don't often see them in person, of course.  They both live a ways away, and life is busy for all of us.  Finding a time to be all together is getting more and more difficult, hard as we try to make it happen.

They do not stop being my children when we are apart, and we do not lose each other in the separation.  I don't love them any less for the distance, and I don't worry they will no longer love me just because I am not there to do things for them.  I see them in the photos, the text messages and emails they send me, and even the random shoe or book they have left behind with me.  And they see me in the photos, texts and emails I send and the gifts they have been given, as well.  Our love doesn't stop because we are apart.  The longing to be together draws us in and makes the time more precious when we finally have it.  The interaction we have is not often in person, but the love and respect and care we feel for each other are as real and constant as the feelings of people who see their families all the time.

So it is with God.  We see him reflected in the works of his creation, and he sees us as we move through our daily lives.  Although we are not together in the human sense, God is carried in our heart, and he carries us in his love, until we can be together again.  The longing makes the reunion that much sweeter.

Kids often ask which sense you would find most difficult to lose, and the answer was always easy for me.  I would hate to lose my hearing above all else.  Whether listening or performing, I hear God in the music of the world, and it keeps me in touch with my creator.  Whether it is song or laughter or a serious conversation, so much is communicated through the words we say and hear, and it would be difficult and painful to lose that affinity.

Although my gifts are modest, I am always most connected with my Savior when I am playing and singing to his glory, and my faith is uplifted as I perform.  God hears our intentions, and when we sing or play or speak to his glory, we are in tune, literally, with the creator who gave us the ability to hear.

I have had some serious health issues in the past, and I have literally felt the shower of love which rained down upon me at that time.  God touched me through the human hands which uplifted and cared for me.  Each time an unexpected card or visitor arrived, I felt the love of God through them, and I was reminded again how our steadfast faith is rewarded.

God sees our struggles and reaches out to raise us up through the love and comfort of those whom he has put in our lives.  When I reach out to someone else, even briefly, they are touched by God's presence as I minister to their need, just as I am ministered to by others when I am in need.  We may never know how others are influenced by our actions at times of trouble, but God's message is spread in hard times as well as happy times, and the face of God is never nearer than when we are in trouble.

A good meal has many elements.  We have the tangy and the savory and the salty and a little bit of sweet, all mixed together.  While we hope for harmony, it doesn't always work out that way.  Sometimes we have too much of something, and it overwhelms the rest of what is on our plate.

Our lives are much like a meal, in that we have many elements to balance, and they don't always mesh just perfectly.  God is there to help us find our way, to see the path, to hear his directions, to taste the fruits of our labors, to touch the glory, and to feel his comforting hand uplifting us and surrounding us with his loving presence. When we seek God, he is present for us through everything he has given us.  As he tells us in Psalm 34:8,

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

God is here for our journey, and he has provided us doubting humans with the evidence of our own senses.  We need only accept his presence in our lives and reach out for his glorious gift of salvation to be assured that we will spend eternity with him.  As the hymn declares, what a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms!