WAITING FOR THE FOG TO LIFT

TUESDAY 31 AUGUST
I woke up this morning, stepped onto my (well, our) exclusive balcony with a view and the mountains had gone! I couldn’t quite believe it so washed my eyes, put on my glasses, looked again, but sure enough, they had gone. They were there yesterday, but not there today.

As the early morning fog began to clear in my brain I realised that the fog hanging over the sea had blotted out the mountains from view, they were still there but I couldn’t see them. How dare the fog do that! I hadn’t come all this way for the fog to spoil my view!

Hopefully they will be back tomorrow but I wonder if anyone else had noticed because the longer you stay here, or in any place, the things you used to marvel at simply become part of the routine, the norm, and what you were amazed at once you now take for granted.

Last night I struggled to get to sleep, it is extremely hot and uncomfortable at night, and as I lay there I remembered that I am sleeping in this bed surrounded by ex-drug addicts, former members of the infamous Triad gangs, some who had been on heroin for many years, involved in violence and probably much else besides. Up to that point, I had forgotten that, it had disappeared from my sight. It made me a little nervous as I tried to get to sleep that night, but then I recalled how a few minutes before I had been worshipping with them and being part of their passionate, honest love for the Saviour and sharing communion together, remembering that Jesus died for all of us, all of us at the foot of the empty cross shoulder to shoulder, all standing in need of God’s unconditional, unlimited forgiveness once again.
The Brothers all know that they have been cleaned physically and spiritually, able to fight the 24 hour battle against addiction in God’s strength with His weapons. As I remembered that, it helped me sleep!

It’s too easy to allow the fog of the past to obscure the view of people, God’s view of people, and all too easy to lose sight of the fact that there is a beauty in all of us still waiting to be seen.

The fog is slowly clearing and I can make out the outline of the mountains again. I can’t see all the view, but it’s coming. The beauty is always there although sometimes hidden from view so I can still worship the Creator even if I can’t see the full picture.

I pray that the fog will keep lifting and I will see people saved by grace, filled with power, with a future. I’m praying that the fog won’t be rolling in again.