Shade Tree Wisdom 7/26/08

Here we still are in July, and it’s HOT. No need to remind you of that, but do we really know it? I mean, yesterday a young man was here to make the semi-annual checkup of the unit here at the house. He treated the drip pan, he cleaned the coils, he checked the fluids, he did what ever maintenance the unit needs, checked all the ducts to see whether they were still tight, and left till next visit.

So we don’t really feel the heat. The unit does what we ask of it, keeps the house comfortable, and when we leave to shop groceries even the car has air in it, and so do the stores we visit. All cool, all nice, all comfortable.

It’s really so easy that we sort of take it for granted. We don’t really feel the real burden of the weather for what it is, hot. And that’s the burden of my thinking this morning.

Appearances. It’s easy to make believe. Around the house, for instance, we don’t really clean the way our mothers used to. They’d turn things upside-down, get into all the corners, make sure the closets were clean and shiny, get stuff out of the way to tackle the whole house, windows and closets and dark corners. Nothing escaped that cleaning. Our house today looks fairly clean, but a sunny day shows up dust here and there and things of that sort. The sun brings out the difference.

Isn’t our life often like that? Jesus, in speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, called them ‘whited sepulchers". Matthew 23,27. Then He said to them, “Outside you look good to people, but inside you’re full of hypocrisy and crime”. V.28. “Beautiful on the outside, but . . .”

What to do? The only answer is what Our God teaches us. Jesus calls us ‘branches’, and adds, “now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you” John 15,3. And in his letter St. John the apostle speaks about “living in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleans us from all sin.” And says more, “If we confess or sins, we can depend on Him to do what is right – He will forgive us our sin and wash away every wrong.” 1 John l, 7.9.

Not outward appearance, but let’s make sure we have this right, repentance, confession, leads to forgiveness from a gracious and most merciful God. Then the rest follows.

May God bless the day.

GPD 7/26/08