Update on Illusions

(This is an update on the post "Illusions" of May 16)

Surprise! Surprise! NOW do you see a bird in the picture? :) Today one of my co-workers at Sav-A-Life came out of her office carrying a small neon orange gift bag with bright yellow tissue paper sticking out the top. She was walking straight towards me with her arm outstretched and the gift in her hand. I was more than surprised when she handed me the bag....I mean, my birthday's not for another two weeks and I couldn't think of any other reason she would be bringing me a present! "For me?", I said. With that smiling, pixie look that only T. has she said, "Yes, it's a gift for you!" Well, who can resist a gift no matter what the occassion? When I took the bag I first noticed the weight of it....so much heavier than I had expected it to be. I reached down into the depths of the billowing yellow tissue paper and felt something hard and cold. When my hand came out of the bag I was holding the beautiful stone bird you see in the picture today! I know I was probably standing there with my mouth open! I immediately knew that the bird in my hand had some connection to my blog about the illusional "sand rock bird" on my deck railing at home. Then T. said, "I got this so that you would never be deceived again when you look out your kitchen window!" Wow! What a great statement! We DO need the real thing, or standard, sitting along side the illusion just so that we can always realize what is real and what is not.

God is the standard that we should judge our lives by. Sometimes even we Christians judge our lives by the lives of others.......some who may be weaker than we are. In doing so, it sure makes us look good when we think we're not as bad as someone else. So to the casual onlooker....we are the dedicated, sold-out Christian. But deep down we know we have to judge our lives by the life of Jesus Christ and not other humans. And when we put ourselves beside Christ for judgement, we all fall flat on our faces and can see where we come short. And it's there , on our face, that we can begin to do what we were born to do.....worship and honor and glorify the Lord because only He is worthy. Is your Christianity real? Or are you an illusion of Christianity?

Thank you T. if you are reading this! I love the bird and I love the analogy! And I can't wait until I see the expression on his face the first time B.looks out the kitchen window! I am not going to warn him there's a new feathered friend carved from stone sitting on the railing! (Smile!)

"In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God." Psalm 62: 7

May God bless you today!

Marilyn