True Horizon, by Melissa Driggers

Photo by Melissa Driggers

You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16, MSG)

My parents and I vacation every October on a very secluded and sparsely populated section of the Gulf Coast, about 25 miles down a long, narrow beach peninsula, far away from everything.  We don’t mind the sacrifice of a long drive to civilization and basic necessities for the pure, unobstructed views up and down the beach and out into the horizon.

I’ve always been so fascinated by the mystery of the horizon. As my father (a former commercial saltwater fisherman) has explained to me many times over the years, the “true horizon” is the actual point at which you can no longer distinguish where the earth ends and where the sky begins.   On most days, if you fix your eye on the clearest, sharpest part of the line, you will see a beautiful halo effect coming out from it.  Where the halo is, the "true horizon” is.  I’ve often thought that if I tried to draw a picture of what eternity looks like, it would be that beautiful halo.

 

On one of our visits, with an impending tropical storm out further in the Gulf, we experienced very high winds and therefore, very rough water and high waves.  I was fascinated to observe that the true horizon never disappeared regardless of the dark sky, lightning, or raging wind and waves.  Even the halo remained visible.  It was right there, amidst the angry water, wind and rain, just as it was on the previous days when the ocean was calm and as smooth as a big sheet of glass.  Regardless of the circumstances of the weather or waves, that mysterious, magical line was there and visible.  And always beautiful.

That same “true horizon” line at which Earth meets Heaven is in me, too.  Some days, I'm the trusting, loving smooth-as-glass girl.  On others, I am one scary, raging-rough-water-lady.  Now, let’s be real here … I am pretty sure that my halo shines brighter on some days than others, and I’ve often quipped that my metaphoric angelic halo is “a little bent”.  Much like Peter, many times I focus on the storm and not God’s faithfulness.  Yet regardless of what circumstances may be swirling around us, in that place where we let go and disappear into Him, the promise found in the beauty of the “horizon-halo” is there.  In us.

You see, if we really believe what we say we believe as Christ followers, then we become that place where the lines between Earth and Heaven meld together, because His spirit dwells in us.  Like the horizon line between ocean and sky, we too are a place at which the beauty of His Creation disappears into the deeper and eternal beauty of Heaven.

The place where the truth of hope and healing found in the Lord heals the brokenhearted.

    

The place where the richest, most unexpected blessings are found in the midst of the deepest of suffering.

  

The place where the heavenly angels become our dance partners as we celebrate His blessings, presence and love.

 

The place where the peace that passes all understanding miraculously overtakes the things of this earthly life that seem impossible to bear.

 

The place where we end, and He begins.      

Melissa is an itinerant speaker/teacher, blogger and author residing in the South.  She is single (although she prefers the term “unclaimed treasure”) and lives with her two children, Henry and Hannah, who are “technically” canine (ssshhhh… they don’t know they aren’t human).  Her vision and passion for ministry is to shepherd others to the grace, hope, healing, and restoration found only in Jesus Christ!  Through her own life journey, God has transformed her heart, and she has experienced the true meaning of “beauty from ashes”.

You can connect with Melissa through her web site, at www.infieldsofgrace.com.