I grew up on Tisdel Road, named after my family, made of black pavement. My house was at the end of a long gravel driveway set off from the street.
My childhood consisted of a modest brick three bedroom house. Very loving yet quiet. Very wooded, no neighbors on the other side of the street. Very still, yet as long as I can remember I always wanted to live in Brooklyn. Now I do, and somedays I want to go back! Lol
I remember once calling home when I first moved here and my grandmother asking, “How you get air up there?” I replied “huh?” She said, “well all those tall buildings, it a wonder you get air. Ain’t they blocking your air?” Of course I laughed and said, "no" but later began to understand - it was hard to breathe here. Not because of the tall buildings, but just the city herself. She’s tired. Day and night she never rests, never sleeps and she has long arms and patience for all of us who live here.
On my block alone there are hundreds, and thousands more pass daily in front of my house. On the train it’s a constant struggle with where you have to go and who you have to jam your body next to get there!
Whether you are from somewhere else like me or lived your whole life here, you have to admit the city is pretty vocal! I think this is why it’s hard to be mesmerized by Jesus.
My grandmother, looking at life from my little old house in the country, never has to see creation obstructed by buildings. She never had to be distracted by television or other noise to hear the Lord if she was sitting on a porch looking out into the woods.
Once in Rome, my friend Manuele took us around and showed us some things, including some of the places the apostle Paul went and many things from the Bible. It was so intriguing and I felt so close to Jesus. It led to a conversation with us about Jesus and people asked him if he believed Jesus was real. He said, "of course!" He mentioned that in the states, because we are so far removed, we haven’t gotten over the initial hump that these people were real! He said there the struggle for some people is if Jesus was who he said he was.
Does that keep you from seeing Jesus in all his glory? Do you doubt? Perhaps, you are like me and you need to jump off the hamster wheel and carve out time to remember or discover Jesus.
Here are the songs for the week. Listen to them. Worship to them. Let them help you to be wowed by Him.