Blinded by the Ordinary
On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright, bicycle merchants who went on to become the fathers of modern aviation, sent their sister a telegram. It read, “Sustained flight for 59 seconds. Hope to be home for Christmas.” Excited by the news, she took the telegram to the local Dayton, OH newspaper.
The paper found the telegram noteworthy and ran a small headline on the back page. It read, “Popular bicycle merchants to be home for Christmas.”
Pastor James R. Noland, Former Pastor, The Church of the Good Shepherd, Vienna, VA
Says pastor Noland, “Sometimes we miss the extraordinary because we are blinded by the ordinary.”
We serve an extraordinary God. Don’t miss Him in the mundane. “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions” (Psalm 119:18).
Illustration Exchange
The Scarlet Letter
In the book of Isaiah we read, “Though your sins be like scarlet they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.”
The color scarlet is a visual symbol of sin. In the classic novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is ostracized from her society because of her sin. Hester committed adultery and must spend her life wearing the scarlet letter "A" as a badge of shame.
But the subplot indirectly asks what letter ought the other members of the society be wearing. What is their sin?
Hester Prynne was forced to wear a scarlet A to announce her sin of adultery. Of course, if we all had to wear letters for our sins, we would need the whole alphabet! To avoid hypocrisy here, we must acknowledge that sin is sin, and that we are all guilty of our own rebellions. Sure, sin must be confronted, but in a spirit of humility, accompanied by the offer of restoration, forgiveness, and hope.
Tested By Fire
"Sprinklers, limestone plaster, frame repellant window gel, and a hand-poured concrete basement. This is what Chris Arai used to withstand the fires.
"Wildfires have burnt thousands of California homes to the ground in recent years.
"Engineer Chris Arai has spent more than 15 years fireproofing his Sonoma County home, outfitting it with a gas-powered sprinkler system, flame-repellant window gel, and a concrete basement he poured by hand.
"When the Kincade Fire ripped through Arai's rural community last year, the engineer's home was the only one that survived the blaze."
Chris went to great lengths to fire-proof his home. While many scrambled as the wildfires crept closer, since he was well prepared, his home was able to withstand the fire that destroyed his neighbor's home.
How will the life you've built stand up to the fire that's coming when God tests the quality of what you've done?
"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work" (1 Corinthians 3:11-13, NIV).