The Israelites were defeated by the Philistines in battle, but they went to get the
ark of the covenant, which they thought would bring them sure victory. Yet, rather
than victory, they got a humiliating defeat, with the Philistines beating them
without any problems. The
Israelites would get the ark of the covenant back several chapters later in the
book of Samuel. The
unintended happens in life sometimes. One of the
saints we celebrate this week is Paul the Hermit. Being an
introvert myself, I think of my introvertedness as something I need to deal
with as I journey through life. Paul lived
in Egypt in the 3rd century when he fled into the desert in the
midst of a great persecution of Christians. Paul thought
he would go back once things got better, but he decided to stay in the desert
and live the life of a hermit, living out his faith in the silence and solitude
that he encountered there. It is said
that Paul lived til the age of 112. Anthony,
one of the great Desert Fathers, went out to meet Paul, to honor him for his
life of holiness. Anthony later returned
to bury Paul when he died. We can use the reality of our lives to honor
the glory of God, even when something unintended happens.
No comments:
Post a Comment