These things—the beauty, the memory of our own past—are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers.
For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.”
- C. S. Lewis
You know those little quotes that you think are written just to you? those times when you feel like you are the only one in the world who thinks a certain way, and then you read or hear something that acknowledges that someone else shares the same viewpoint? The quote speaks to me.
At school, I am incredibly blessed by Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). I started attending RUF in the second semester of my freshman year, and, wow, God is present in that place. The students are incredible. They are all so talented, motivated, impressive, socially graceful, adept, and loving. They inspire me to be a better lover of the Lord and others and a harder worker. The Lord has been especially generous in giving us a phenomenal campus minister. He is just so great. The Lord speaks through him in ways that consistently tug at my heart each week.
This semester, he is going through a series of sermons on Ecclesiastes. Each week we examine the things we are chasing: certainty, relationships, money, power, etc. Last night, he talked about chasing youth. He told us of the quote about as we are to rejoice in our youth and remember our Creator. We are to see the world as pointing us towards the Lord.
I cannot say it enough: I love this quote. It acknowledges my longing. It acknowledges that I search for beauty. I go to a absolutely beautiful university. It is historic, prestigious, and diverse. I am surrounded with an amazing landscape and incredible human feats of brilliance everyday. These feats are empty unless we realize that they are a mere reflection of the Creator.
Today is a day that the Lord has given us. Today, I am relying on his grace. Today, I will rejoice in my youth and remember my Creator, appreciating the good and beautiful things that he has given me knowing that they are reflection of His beauty and flow out of Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment