I have been anticipating the many unique ways we would be celebrating holidays on the race and Thanksgiving was nothing short of memorable. We invited another team from our squad that has been serving another ministry near to us in Skopje to come and have Thanksgiving dinner with us. We were getting last minute things together to prepare for our eclectic feast, and just as our guests walked through the door, the electricity went out. We had no power for the stove, the oven, or any of the lights. Thankfully, most of the food had already been cooked so we all accumulated our invaluable headlamps and scattered them about. There were fourteen of us all crammed into our little apartment to feast in the dark.
Throughout the race thus far, the Lord has been teaching me a lot about my eyes. He has been exposing more depth to my sight by removing the scales from my eyes and unraveling what it means to behold the world and the people that fill it with eyes of the Father. It is often when we find ourselves in darkness, that true light is unmasked before us. When we are entangled in both physical and spiritual darkness, this is where Jesus wants to lift our eyes upward; to change our gaze to behold the Light of the World.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
-2 Corinthians 3:18
On thanksgiving, we could hardly see our plates, much less each other’s faces, but this caused us to look elsewhere. It allowed us the space to be more intentional with our words and to intently listen to the voices of those beside us. While I was tempted to search for the faces of my family in those around me and reminisce on the familiar traditions I was missing, the Lord gave me an opportunity to give thanks in a new light; to behold a glimpse of the heavenly places while feasting in the dark, because choosing to behold the heavenly often allows us to be starved of our earthly fears and desires and instead to feast upon his grace.
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
-1 Corinthians 13:12
While things are often dark and confusing here on earth, it is the light of the heavenly places that reveals the true glory of the Lord. For now, we hold tightly to hope by having faith in God’s promise to us. But in heaven, faith will be swallowed up in actual sight. There will be no space to believe and hope when we get to truly see; to behold the face of God. But for now, we walk by this beautiful gift of faith, while being transformed and seeking to reflect the light and likeness of Jesus Christ. Then, we cling most desperately to to the promise of always more, fully believing the Father will continue to give us glimpses of the heavenly places dripping down to earth and the eternal glory that is yet to come!
