Eph 2:1-10 / Lk 12:13-21
One of the great hazards of the human condition in any age is limited vision. It takes a lot of work and attention to the most mundane matters just to keep things afloat and running at even a minimal level. Think about all the care your automobile requires: Regular stops at the gas station and the car wash; longer stops at the garage for routine maintenance; quarterly checks for insurance; driver’s license renewal; time out for non-scheduled repairs after surprises on the freeway or the parking garage, etc.
Every part of life has its own demands on our time and our checkbooks and we never quite seem to get finished or to have time to lift our noses off that grindstone and look around. Our vision can get short and narrow, and we can easily come to feel as if this is all there is.
That’s what St Paul calls living “at the level of the flesh,” and it just isn’t enough. He’s not suggesting that we abandon those tasks and throw all responsibility to the winds. But he is saying that they’re not enough by themselves. Indeed, they’ll grind us down to dust if we’re trying to walk this road alone, without the guidance and comfort of the Lord who walks with us.
Jesus has given us a larger vision of life and of our destiny, and he has promised to remain with us always, picking us up when we stumble and making sure we don’t lose our way.
Keep that vision before you always. It will change the way you see every day.
