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Jan 27, 2010

Try this little experiment with me. Look at the sentence below.

FEDERAL FUSES ARE THE
RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIEN-
TIFIC RESEARCH AND STUDY
AND THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Don’t worry about what it says, or means. Rather, just do one simple thing. Count the number of “f”s in the sentence.

Many people see only two “f”s in the sentence. Most people looking at this sentence see three “f”s, and they feel certain about it. But wait a minute. Some people see four “f”s, and some see five, and still others see more than five. How many do you see?

Let’s count them. One, two, three, four, five, six! One in federal, one in fuses, one in scientific, and then there are three “f”s in the “of”s. There is no trick to this. There are indeed six “f”s in the sentence.

So what is the point of this simple exercise? The obvious lesson may be that sometimes we don’t see what is right there in front of us. Sometimes, we miss what is right before our eyes.

Another lesson may be that our previous experiences can help us. If you have seen this exercise or some like it, somewhere else, you probably did better this time than you did in the past. People with prior experience can sometimes point out things that those going through an experience for the first time may be unable to see. (Parents, I know you love this point!)

Here is another point. People are like those “f”s. Some jump right out at us and we notice them. Others, seem to slide by in the background, and nobody notices, even though we should. The good news is, that we have a savior that notices all of us, and knows and loves us.

All of the “f”s are important. We can’t have a sentence without them. All of God’s people are important. God’s kingdom isn’t complete without them. We aren’t complete without them. 2nd Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. “

God’s mercy is extended to all, and that includes each of you. In this coming year, God calls us to notice all of God’s people, and extend the loving mercy of the Lord to all who are feeling lost. And don’t forget, that includes each of us. Welcome to the Lord’s family. May we grow ever closer together in this coming year, and extend an invitation to all we meet, to become members of this loving family, into which we have all been adopted.

Praise Be to God, now and always,

Pastor Paul