Metaphor Mish-mash

  “Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Mathew 13:33

  On the way home from home church last night, a blazing shooting star raced overhead; the first one seen this year. I hadn’t seen any during the annual meteor shower this past summer, much to my great disappointment, even though I’d been out every night searching. It was a letdown, when previous years had seen me lose count of all the shooting stars in the heavens.

  Last night’s appearance wasn’t the usual, barely seen, glimpse of a flash seen in a clear sky. There were a lot of clouds last night. The shooting star was brilliant enough and low enough to light them up as it whipped past. At first I thought it was a fiery plane crashing, it was that bright! But it was moving far too quickly. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen!

   I suppose I didn’t really see the meteor, only its effect.

  That’s what faith in Jesus Christ is, too. It isn’t something we can hold or put on a shelf. It isn’t a cuddly teddy bear to wrap our arms around. Faith doesn’t come wrapped in a box. It isn’t stored in a box along with the Christmas decorations…or maybe it is... My hope is that this could be an opportunity for everyone to think about having Christmas every day of the year.

  Faith isn’t something that can be seen; but its effect is clearly visible. Maybe that’s what the yeast is referring to: faith.

  The Lord knew I was disappointed in August when, despite spending enough time outside that I got a crick in my neck from looking up, not a single shooting star showed itself. It’s silly. I know what they are; great big hunks of rock from space. But their final glory as they burn across the heavens fills me with childish delight and laughter. I must have thanked the Lord a dozen times last night!

  Hmmm, yeast, faith, is a complicated medium with a simple foundation of believing in Jesus.. Gratitude is part of its makeup as well.

  Part of my personal faith yeast is the verse from Joel 2:25. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust and the chewing locust.”

  Disappointment is a big bug. So is loss. Betrayal. Illness…Weevils in the flour.

  But, God more than made up for this summer’s disappointment! 

  He has more than made up for every single disappointment in my entire life. Only, sometimes, I have had to wait to see it come to fruition. Sometimes it required me to actively be involved in the process. Picking weevils out of the flour isn't the most pleasant thing to do but oh, so necessary. (Ewww.)

  I think faith/yeast is standing on the promises of God given to us through Jesus Christ, Kingdom living to the nth degree. 

  The best part? A little faith goes a long way. Even if we can't see it working until we see it working!