So Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life, you are our only hope.”

John 6:67-68

Typically, my morning routine involves getting up with the sun, starting a pot of coffee, walking Max and then sitting at the kitchen counter to write this regular morning post, as a way to both center my thoughts and warm-up my writing engine for the day.

Today, however, my walk got rained out and the writing part of my brain is already trying to lean in to the book I’m in the process of fine-tuning in anticipation of a Thanksgiving release. It’s a collection of 366 meditations, one for each day of the year.

The process of editing is interesting because it has me reading and re-reading story after story of how faith intersects with day-to-day life – to the extent that the cumulative effect is a tidal-wave of reassurance. The evidence is overwhelming in terms of this big-picture understanding of God’s providential presence and care.

It’s a little like the eye-doctor appointment I had this week. The essential goal is to help maintain clarity of vision – but then they break it down into so many small measurements. The shadow of potential cataracts… the pressure numbers in each eye… the endless questions: “Can you read the third line from the bottom? Do you like number one or number two? Do you prefer number three or number four….” “Here let me squirt this yellow goo into your eyes….”

“And now,” they say, “we’re going to take a look at the back of your eyes.”

“Wait a moment,” I reply, “let me spin them around for you.”

Impossibly bright wash of light

This exchange is followed by is the impossibly bright flash of light that floods in and washes all the way round my eyeballs and feels like it’s going to leak out of my ears.

That’s kind of like how it is to review all of these stories. It’s a wash of light and encouragement and assurance that brings a clarity to my faith that serves as a really helpful perspective for me.

I can see clearly. I can see God at work. My vision is clarified, sharpened, healed even by the day-to-day retelling, the testimonies I am experiencing once again as I read and edit.

Do I prefer number one or number three? Truth is I like them all – and most especially the new story I know that I will experience today – DEREK