John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Getting to know you, getting to know more about you; Getting to love you, knowing that you love me….
This morning when I woke up, those slightly altered lyrics from The King and I echoed through my mind. They were an apt reflection of thoughts surrounding my time of semi-solitude at the little cottage on Lake Erie where I am staying. I come here to write each year, but the writing primarily provides the structure for me to seek and hear the Lord. To discover more about him. To receive more of him.
When Jesus came to earth he broke open the opportunity for us not only to know about God with our mind, but to know God personally with our heart. That’s why he said the least in the kingdom of heaven is superior to the greatest of men—men like John the Baptist and prophets like Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel (Matthew 11:11). They could only know God from a distance. Their righteous adherence to the Law demonstrated what they knew about God, but a relationship of intimacy remained out of reach.
Until Jesus….
Jesus likens all of us repentant sinners who seek to do the will of the Father to his natural family (Matthew 12:50). And families know each other. He invites us to get to know him through the course of our day-to-day living. As writer Dean Nelson explains, God is always sending us signals indicating his presence, but we simply miss them because we aren’t “tuned into looking for him in everyday life.” C.S. Lewis writes that the world is “crowded” with God. Our work is to pay attention.
So back to The King and I. The last lines of the song go like this:
Haven’t you noticed
Suddenly I’m bright and breezy?
Because of all the beautiful and new
Things I’m learning about you
Day…by…day.
Drawn to watch Deborah Kerr singing those words this morning, I was paying attention. I got the signal. Through a simple clip on Youtube of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Jesus let me know he was here…with me…today. And yes, his presence makes me a bit “bright and breezy.”
Ohhhh…let’s not miss getting to know him in the midst of the everyday….