Blog Layout
Love Revealed
Joe Killian • July 7, 2017
Pulling off a really good surprise is hard work. This past Monday was my birthday and Maria was being coy about what we were going to be doing that day. She told me to pack a bag and just be open. Even though I was tired from doing a lot of work around our house I took a deep breath and went along for the ride. We met Joshua, our youngest son, for lunch and here is what happened:
I was totally shocked and overjoyed that Joey and Sarah had traveled from Boston and Orlando just to be with me on my birthday. Maria and the kids had kept this from me for months as they prepared and planned. The "reveal" was worth more than words can describe. This week's Gospel speaks to an even greater reveal.
At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." Matthew 11:25-30
Prior to Jesus' incarnation God had always been largely hidden from all but a few privileged prophets. It was obviously challenging for the people of Israel to understand what Jesus meant when He talked about His relationship with His Father. In this passage we hear Jesus clearly say that He alone reveals His Father. Jesus also goes on to explain how He Himself is there waiting with open arms to embrace us and to support us in all we do in life.
I can not describe to you just how wonderful and fulfilling that embrace was with Joey and Sarah. While Joey and Sarah were only here for three days we had many moments where we connected in a deep and loving way. I saw it in their eyes and felt it in their hugs that they know how much I love them. Words cannot express how grateful I am that they sacrificed their time in the midst of their busy lives to be with me for my birthday. They revealed their love for me, which in turn allowed me to truly appreciate that my children know my love for them.
I can only hope and pray that they always know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am here for them. The most amazing thing is God loves us even more than we love our own children. Here is my prayer today.
"I give praise to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth! You have revealed to me, as a father, the gift of Your love for us, Your children. I am grateful, Lord, that we as a family know love as you intended it to be. Thank you Father for sharing your Son with us all. May we always "Come to Your Son" for that loving embrace that gives us rest. And may we in turn be given the strength to meekly and humbly reveal Your love to the world."
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
