my father’s world.

A couple of years ago I spent two weeks in Switzerland. Switzerland is known for its beautiful mountains. From my hotel room I could see some of these mountains.

One afternoon, as I was enjoying the beautiful view, a scary thought came to me.

I thought: What if?

What if all these mountains aren’t part of God’s world at all? What if this whole world isn’t God’s world at all? What if the whole world is actually the head of a big giant?

What if the grass the cows are eating on the mountain slopes isn’t grass at all, but hair – hair growing out of the head of a big giant?

What if those cows aren’t cows at all but lice living on the head of this big giant?

What if the mountains I’m looking at aren’t mountains at all, but bumps on the head of this giant?

What if some stars had fallen on this giant’s head so that now he has big bumps on it – bumps that are hurting badly?

And what if suddenly a giant hand would appear out of nowhere and start rubbing those bumps?

And what if, by rubbing those bumps, those hands would kill those cows and smash the hotel I’m in and kill everybody inside?

What if, I thought.

But then I thought:

That cannot be, for this is my Father’s world.

I’m not living on a giant’s head. I’m living in a world that God made.

- John Timmer, Once Upon A Time

Then he quoted the oft-neglected hymn:

This is my Father’s world:

Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King, let the heaven’s ring!

God reigns: Let the earth be glad.

I like John Timmer and his simplicity.

I picked this story because of Mark 8:17-21:

"Why are you talking about having no bread?

Do you still not see or understand?

Are your hearts hardened?

Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?

And don't you remember?

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,

how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"   

"Twelve," they replied.

"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,

how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

      They answered, "Seven."

He said to them,

"Do you still not understand?"

Do you still not understand?

I like Jesus and His simplicity.

This world is messed up.

I could wish for another world, but that world would be messed up soon too.

We weren’t made to last in this world.

And the world wasn’t made to last.

But as imperfect as this world is,

It is my Father’s world.

That is sufficient.