I feel blessed beyond words – even despite my blindness…
I love to read. And – quite frankly – I love to read historical fiction. It is so interesting to me to consider historical events from the perspective of the people who lived during those times, and to try to image what they must have felt while experiencing major historical moments at various times in their lives.
Think for example of how the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s must have felt to people living in cities that were going to be affected by potential nuclear war. Those people who did not have the benefit of hindsight would have been well within their right mind to think that their lives (or at least the world as they knew it) was likely to come to an end sooner rather than later during those few days while the world waited for the powers of the Westad n those of the East to re-establish their position in the world.
And one of the periods of history that I have always found fascinating is the Middle Ages. This was a period of relative ignorance when compared with the more advanced Roman Empire, but it was a period of time when people were looking for ways to live lives that could make some difference in the world.
Years ago, there were a series of movies made about immortality during these Middle Ages called the Indiana Jones series... It was in these movies there was a chalice (supposedly the chalice that Christ drank from during the Last Supper) and drinking from this chalice would enable a person to become immortal. And the characters in this movie were willing do endure all sorts of trouble and drama and difficulty just to have the opportunity to live forever.
And I have been thinking about that immortality today, because in fictional movie characters will do almost anything to achieve it, but in real life, we are given this on a silver platter – so to speak – because we are given Baptism. And baptism is our key to immortality – it makes us immortal.
And that source of immortality – that fountain of eternal youth (as in child-like trust in God) – can only be achieved through Baptism. And in this way, we are given, by our Beloved, the GIFT of immortality and we do not even need to do anything to achieve it. All we need to do – for most of us – is to be born into a family with parents who decide to Baptise us. And through their decision we are invited into eternal life – and immortality…
And I have been thinking about how blind I have been to such a truth as that for my entire life. And it occurs to me that my Beloved is more patient with me than I could ever possibly imagine – and for that reason I feel blessed beyond words – even despite my blindness..
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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