Our driveway still has a pretty good coating of ice from last week's storms. I can't wait for the promised warming trend that will melt the stubborn remnants of winter. Last week, however, something else fell prey to the ice - our satellite dish. Now I had been warned by experienced friends about the dangers of wind, rain, ice and snow to satellite reception. So far their warnings had proven wrong. Not last week...
I found myself standing outside - in the dark - in the wind and sleet. And from what I could tell, everything looked fine on the roof. But there was a thin film of ice on the dish and its receptors (not sure what they are called) that was blocking the signal from space. Taking my life in my hands, I used our step ladder to get within striking distance and struck the dish a few times. Let's just say I am not sure which was more foolish - standing on a step ladder in an ice storm or standing under something one is trying to de-ice. But I survived and, more importantly, the signal from above was restored. My family rejoiced.
The signal from above, huh? Okay, a little much I'll admit. But I started thinking about my ability to hear God's voice - or inability at times. I can't see it well but sometimes there is a thin coating of ice that blocks God's signal. Some signal gets through but it is garbled like the signal on my television. Some pictures come through, some sound too = but too much of the signal is garbled. Too much for the real picture to be clear, for the message to be coherent. And I complain about God not speaking clearly to me.
So what is this imperceptible layer of ice that garbles God's communication with me? If it were some clear wrong it would be easy to see and clean. I catch these things - no stealing from others, no murder, none of the other "big" sins. But what I don't catch or see are the wrongs of my heart and mind, the ice on my soul, that I ignore or overlook. The uncharitable thoughts I have, the dark feelings toward others, the grudges I nurse - you get the picture and can identify what those things are for you.
The difference between this soul ice and the ice on our dish is that the ice on my soul comes from me, from inside. Although I like to pretend that, like the ice on the dish, it comes from elsewhere. It's easy and tempting to blame other people or bemoan the circumstances. But it isn't true and just adds more to the ice that garbles God's signal.
I wonder if this is what Jesus was talking about when he said "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23 ESV)?
Looking this week to de-ice my soul and improve the signal. I wonder how God looks in HD?
