2023-08-12 A Meditation on Scope to Discover

“5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Ro 5:1–5 ESV)

There is much scope to be discovered. Who knows the inner dynamics of man, man who uses calm demeanor to the effect of heightened patrol. Man who, in the heart convicted by beauty or by service in others, thinks of things easily forgotten.

It is a strange walk, a peace walk, a bountiful march, that opens up avenues easily forgotten. The avenue of language shared, though some feel that all their recollections are of sin and despondency. Some feel they are lukewarm until things really get tough, and that here is where their basic training comes in. Basic insofar as simply to be boots on the ground, precarious presence, quick-thinking from one formerly slow or quiet. Some feel all they have to offer is stark Call and War. Some feel they cannot long abide near to the cross of a peer, until some Divinity begins to name and to disempower this cross. For we languish and fear never to be able to recover what once was broken.

For the Christian is either a story-teller and humorist, or is a patient listener, self-effacing perhaps or otherwise discounted as not so punchy as the prototypical “coach” and “pastor” and “preacher”. This soul is listened to. This soul is pained to go through its own trials, feeling inadequate, feeling inept or inappropriate even, that is, fearing to have spoken a dead-end word or alluded indirectly to some point of pain. All is point of pain. All is need and Call and War towards the language that shall Save and shall begin to disengage Satan and his minions.

Perhaps the Christian has a more stark picture of things not easily spoken of, the sin that broke fellowship, the abundant welcome that restored it, the day’s thanksgiving. The new generation motivates, yet our place and time is also with our own peers. Both, indeed, call on us to be unafraid to hear the seeming record-scratch or to earn some listening or some respect. Such is the strange bounty of Love from a crew, a family, friends, that has a peace in believing and a peace in laboring.

So to the watchful patrol, it is caution yet caution open to a discovery (re-discovery) of cause to celebrate: reason to cheer and be authority in the situation, of simple guises where service-minded folks are found, in the park, at the restaurant, in the supermarket check-out line. If Grace has taught us anything, it has taught us to allow something hard to resist, the inbreaking of light into the clutching and panicky-at-times self.

Then the beginning of something, the reactivity unto a scenario of a sudden intense and warlike, threatening or belligerent. This breeds the spirit of fear and of caution, patient yet frustrated that others do not “feel it” in quite the same way; so we may be backseat drivers. The Christian does both, cautiously celebrating. The Christian has faith that deep down all our reactions to what Word and Storyline comes our way, will be actions imbued with Faith, complete actions, lacking nothing, full game for the hour and full confidence for the battle.