Perspective Comes Through A Metaphor From God

When God offers a metaphor, it’s always very powerful.

He offered one April 18 as I zipped west through Ohio on I-70. Clearly visible along the north side of the bustling interstate, U.S. 40 – the “National Road” – parallels its four-lane, limited-access successor as a major east-west corridor.

There … over on the National Road … an Amish horse and buggy made its way west at a pace much slower than mine. In the moment, it occurred to me that the buggy’s driver and passenger have lives much simpler than many of us.

My car offers a navigation system, satellite radio, the ability to play MP3 files from a thumb drive. That horse and buggy? Call it reliable transportation; nothing more.

In the few seconds I had to enjoy the view, I realized that God timed things for me that morning in order to make sure I remember how little so many things matter.

For the preceding 3 ½ days, I stayed with a cousin who lives less than 15 minutes from the courthouse in our home county. That is significant because he also lives in an area with virtually no cell coverage … an area without routine access to high-speed Internet service. He still uses 56k dial-up. Young readers of this column may have no idea what that means.

For me, it meant that from a Tuesday night until a Saturday morning, my cell phone sat mostly silent in his home. A couple of times, the phone managed to get an email. By and large, however, I had to drive about three miles to a shopping center where I could park and check mail.

Forcibly, I suppose, I unplugged for longer than I had in many years.

In retrospect, it was glorious. You should try it sometime … soon.

You’ll recapture a time when Tweets, texts and alert tones didn’t exist. I suspect you’ll be surprised at how easily and quickly you begin to enjoy it. 

The point of this column, however, isn’t directly about unplugging. Rather, it’s about what that action helps us to remember – just like rolling down an interstate and, for a few seconds, being next to a horse and buggy moving down a different “interstate” that had served many generations.

We are so tiny.

Recently, we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection, which occurred more than 2,000 years ago. Now that’s a long time; or is it?

Not in God’s time; not in eternity. Our earthly lives represent the tiniest grains of sand in the heavenly hourglass that measures eternity.

Twenty years ago, not having cell coverage or high-speed Internet access wasn’t something people missed because you can’t miss what you never had. Thirty years ago, I owned a “really fast” computer. Today, I wear a wristwatch that’s more powerful.

Cousin Michael and I were enjoying an early dinner at a local restaurant when a waitress, on her way by our table, mentioned that she had the 1980s pop song that was playing “on vinyl.” She was proud of that, seemingly assured that her knowledge that “records” even existed would impress a couple old geezers. It was a funny moment, and telling; another reminder of how quickly things change in our secular world – and how quickly they disappear into the shadow of the next big thing.

Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is the same – yesterday, today and forever.

So for now, remember that He assured you and me of our places in God’s eternity. And thank Him as you remember how little what we are “enjoying” today truly matters.