Sally here from the ICE Primary Team.
Having spent so much time inside lately (for obvious reasons) I’ve been treasuring my daily exercise. I’m not a jogger or a cyclist, so most of my normal exercise comes from walking which is what I’ve decided to keep up under quarantine. Living in the middle of the city there aren’t many green spaces around, but it’s been a wonderful opportunity to discover parts of Exeter that I never knew existed. And that’s not all I’ve discovered.
You see, when circumstances change, you look at things differently. I’ve spent the last 6 years walking all around Exeter on the way to schools and friends and church but it hasn’t been until these past 2 months that I’ve really appreciated how beautiful my city is. And it is beautiful! I’ve seen the colours of early summer bloom and the sunlight on leaves has made my heart soar. There are streets full of gardens and old buildings that have so much character to them; I can’t believe I never stopped to appreciate them before! It’s like my eyes have been opened to a whole new way of seeing things and I can’t stop looking out now to see what else I will find.
Christians believe that when we choose to follow Jesus, He opens our eyes to a whole new way of seeing things too. The more time that we spend with Him talking to Him and reading the Bible, the more that He shows us the world the way that He sees it. We can even ask Him to help us to see differently – in the Bible it says this:
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25: 4 – 5
So what kind of things might we learn as we spend time with Jesus? Well, there’s a life time of discovery ahead but here are just a few things you might find that He teaches you:
Each person isn’t just another person, they are someone who has been made by a loving God who cares about them. Jesus helps us to love others with His love, so even when we don’t like someone, we can remember that they are precious to Him.
The world isn’t just a great place that we can explore, it is a gift given to us to look after, cherish and enjoy. Seeing the world this way reminds us of how creative God is and helps us to celebrate the good things that He gives us!
Our time isn’t just our own, it is an opportunity to serve others and spend on growing more and more like Jesus. It is a gift to be shared and given, not just to be kept for ourselves. Jesus can show us how best to spend our time and give us strength to try new things.
The future isn’t a complete mystery, Jesus has promised to come back again and set all wrongs to right. So no matter what comes, we can say ‘my hope is in you all day long’ and keep going even when things are hard.
So why not give spending time with Jesus a try this week? You might even want to pray the verse that we read earlier and ask Him to help you see the world in His way. Who knows what amazing things you’ll discover on that journey with Him!