I know that’s kind of an odd question to ask, but think about it. What if you encountered the infinite daily? Would it scare you? Would you question your sanity? How would it change your outlook? How would it change how you lived? How would it change you?
As I was channel surfing the other day, I came across an episode of the television series, Joan of Archadia. This series ran from 2003 to 2005, earned several awards and nominations, and had a great opening theme song by Joan Osborne called, “What If God Were One of Us?”
The series was about a teenage girl who unexpectedly encounters God in the form of everyday people. People like janitors, children, mechanics, street performers, sales clerks, etc. It’s not a happy, everything-turns-out-alright-in-the-end type of show. Joan’s parents struggle in their marriage at times. Her father experiences extreme pressure and attacks on his job. Her older brother was in a car wreck and lost the use of his legs. It’s not a show to candy-coat the difficulties of life.
But in the midst of normal life, there are moments in which God shows up in unexpected people and disrupts Joan’s thinking. God’s not always as clear as she would like Him to be. At times, He asks her to do things that make no sense to her. He doesn’t always bring about the resolution Joan desires. Still, these encounters begin to effect her and she can’t go through life on auto pilot any more…and that frustrates her at times.
What if there’s something to this? I know some of you are saying, “But that’s just a fictional television show.” Others are saying, “I don’t even believe in God.” Ok. I get that, but think about it. What if it were possible. What if you encountered the infinite daily? For instance, what if each day you were aware of the following…
- Each person you meet has eyes that are each made up of more than 2 million working parts each.
- Each person you meet has over 60,000 miles of blood vessels…enough to go around the earth twice.
- Each person you meet has a heart that (in an average life time) pumps about a million barrels of blood and beats 3 billion times without stopping.
- Each person you meet has a brain capable of storing everything they’ve ever experienced, seen, read, or heard.
Perhaps we do encounter the infinite daily but we just don’t recognize it or listen to it.
But there’s another level to all of this…
Scripture tells us that we can truly live a sort of Joan of Archadia life. Psalm 119:1-4 and Romans. 1:19-20 says that God shows up for us to see and understand in the things He’s created. Things that are right there in front of us each day…including people.
When we begin to recognize just how many times we encounter the infinite daily, our outlook will change. The way we live our lives will change. We will change.
Leave a comment and tell us how you encounter the infinite daily?
Copyright © 2014 Bret Legg
Apologetics in normal marriage 🙂
More like a joan of archadia flashback.
If nothing else, I will be thinking of this post a lot simply because the song is stuck in my head.
Yeah…great song!
Not exactly where I was going with that…..