This week I’ve been pondering on how we miss seeing things when they are not what we expect. A bit like when you bump into someone you know from work at a friend’s party. You do a double-take because you are not used to seeing them being in that setting – you had no idea you had mutual friends.
My current theme of posts is related to the Easter story. I’ve been fascinated in the last week of the instances where Jesus appears to various disciples after He has risen from the dead. First Mary – she doesn’t recognise Him until He says her name. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They walk a few MILES with Him while He explains the connections between scripture prophecy and what happened to Him. It is probably at least a couple of hours later, when he broke bread at their house, that they suddenly realised. That to me was the oddest situation because it took them sooo long to recognise Him. But afterwards they excitedly discussed how their hearts had ‘burned within them’.
These two accounts of Jesus got me wondering what I miss because of my false expectations or because something is out of its normal context.
· Do I take note of my responses in situations?
· Is my body telling me that something I’m hearing is touching what my heart yearns for?
· How about when I am pushing away the voice that is warning me to back off making a decision I’m about to take?
I well remember employing someone who, on paper, had all the qualifications necessary for the job. They were also very personable. Yet I felt uneasy about it. I told myself it made no sense to feel like that. Sadly, the person demonstrated mental illness within a few weeks of taking on the job. The role was unhelpful to her and caused her great anxiety. I told myself I would not suppress such an inner voice again but I would take time to investigate if it had substance of not.
What have you missed noticing and what did you learn from it?