“Spiritually Unexplored Country”
“Much of life is spiritually unexplored country.” (Twenty-Four Hours a Day: The Little Black Book, excerpt from today’s reading, July 3, 2019)
When I was a young boy growing up on a farm I southern Ohio, I didn’t have playmates or a lot of activities with which to occupy myself. So, I took up exploring. Exploring meant my mom fixing me a couple of mayonnaise sandwiches and a mason jar filled with grape Kool-aid. I would put them in an old, worn-out purse that my mom had kept. I would also usually include a New Testament and a small notebook and pencil to record maps and all my discoveries.
I gradually extended my range of exploring to the edge of our farm, and eventually, way beyond our farm. Later, when I told my mom how far I had gone as a little guy, she was a bit mortified—if you can be a bit mortified—by how far I had traveled in my peregrinations. I suspect that Columbus and other explorers had to wait until their mothers were dead before they set out.
As with all explorers, I have sometimes gotten lost. Sometimes, I have not treated my traveling companions with kindness and respect. Sometimes, I have not treated the lands or people I’ve discovered in a caring way. Sometimes, I’ve been abusive.
But I continue to explore. I value my fellow explorers much more now, and I treat the places, things, and people I discover with more kindness and respect.
God is infinite. That means that there are no boundaries to God. So, I plan to keep on exploring forever.
Crank out the mayonnaise, grape Kool-Aid, and my wife’s old purse. Today, I’m going exploring!
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