I was looking for the sugar in my daughter’s kitchen. Though she doesn’t use much sugar I knew she had some. It’s in the cupboard. Except it wasn’t. I was momentarily stumped as I was sure it was there and having been accused of ‘domestic blindness’ before, I looked through the cupboard carefully … and the adjacent one. No sugar. So I scanned the kitchen and looked at every cupboard and drawer and knew largely what they contained. I checked a few. Yes, cups and glasses there, pots and pans there, and so on. I scanned again. It is in a large kitchen. And so I asked, ‘Um, where’s the sugar?’. Perhaps she had run out. Perhaps it’s in a new place. “It’s in the cupboard next to the fridge.” There is no … oh, wait, there are two narrow vertical doors either side of the fridge …

And I’ve learnt that they’re called ‘tall cabinets’ – and yes, the sugar was there! I relay the story because I saw but didn’t see them when I was looking for the sugar. I didn’t notice them and yet I saw them. I didn’t register them as even holding anything. And literally – but more figuratively speaking – when I pulled on the handle another world (ok, very narrow and rather deep – back to the wall 😉 ) opened up for me!

This can be the excitement of exploration – what is over the horizon or the next hill? – as it can be the long search in science to understand a phenomenon. Considering that most of science is about failure – the experiment didn’t work as planned – the evidence doesn’t support the hypothesis – but even this knowledge can be valuable, we can well imagine the ‘aha!’ moment.

However there is another way that seeing and knowing happen which can also produce the ‘aha!’ moment and that is by revelation – when words – actually the most power things on the planet – reveal and create a reality. Of course, the most powerful word is God’s Word – Jesus – and what God says happens – so you are forgiven when God says so! – we believe God spoke in the beginning and it was so – but our words, while not THAT powerful, can bring about reality, sight / insight, all sorts of emotions, and more. Yes, this may be more in the realm of relationship and identity and the words we and others say – but that words have revealed reality cannot be denied. We didn’t know … we weren’t aware … we thought ‘this’ … but now we know and believe and trust ‘that’ because words have revealed something new, a new reality. Of course the sweetest reality for us is to be loved and in Jesus and his cross, we discover God’s love … and mercy and forgiveness and kindness and joy – that we have fulfilment in life – and a life that even death cannot destroy. Such words help us see – and help us live each day – in this world – until we pass through this place to seeing God beyond.

GS