The Joy of Sight

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light for my path
Ps 119:105

Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 1:7

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:17

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
The more knowledge, the more grief
Ecclesiastes 1:18

The Value of Wisdom

Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
For her proceeds are far better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her.
And happy are all who retain her.

The Mirror

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:22-25

Lights, Camera, Action!

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will rise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1-2

That’s what life in God is about – lights, camera, action! It’s about seeing and doing, apprehending and applying, knowing and being, becoming and displaying. The very first thing God created was light because the thing is we cannot see unless there is light. The next order of the day is to figure out what we are seeing by viewing life through the lens of Truth. Then once we start getting everything all sorted out, we need to step out and be light and help others see God by being like Him. It’s all pretty crystal.

Let there be light! God created the universe by speaking. He created light with faith-filled declarations that brought the dawning day into being. So it is easy to make the link when we see the psalmist thankfully exclaim: your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Jesus himself said the He was the light of the world and the word of God. By walking in friendship with God, we light our way with the truth of what God says as true understanding dawns. It is a place where spiritual light bulbs get lit up every time He speaks as our lamp is plugged into His current of communication. It is a powerful point of connection when God meets man.

Let there be stars! God, you might remember, promised Abraham that his descendants would be like the stars of the sky. God created the moon, the sun and stars to govern the day and night. Those little twinkling dots shimmer the night like gold dust sparkling an endless spread of black silk. Our light is to bring the glow of divine wisdom and the brilliance of God’s nature to all. In God’s perfect wisdom, He allowed darkness to remain as a backdrop and point of contrast in a vast panorama of human experience. In other words, crisis and sorrow give stars an opportunity to shine, to spotlight the superior radiance of God’s ways. We shine when we bring sunshine to our neighbours, when we speak of God in glowing terms, when we burst into glorious worship, when we bejewel our nature with His goodness.

What do you see! To coin from Shakespeare: to see or not to see; that is the question. Funny how we can all see the same thing in different ways, especially if we are viewing it from varied vantage points. No wonder then that sight or the lack thereof is a major biblical theme. When commissioning Jeremiah the prophet, God asked him, “What do you see?” because God wanted to test his prophetic-eye prescription. The lens of personal opinion is often blind or partially blind. The lens of godly insight is always 20/20 on target. This may come through prayer or worship or simply chatting with a friend, and it may come in degrees to teach us not to be hasty with our opinions. Like a trained eye specialist, God, through a number of circumstances and experiences, can shift around lenses to ask us, “Are you seeing now? … what do you see? … Do you see what I’m up to now? … What do you see?”

Can you see me? God created light so that we could see, and ultimately what God wants us to see is Him. God has been scripting human history and human lives over thousands of years, much of which is scripted in the Word of God. The Bible is like a photo book of life from every possible angle; like a photographer’s self-portrait portfolio captured with a diverse range of lenses. The images are vivid and captivating and tell gripping stories. This is because God wants us to gaze into them to find Him and so find ourselves; to peer into the mirror of the Word to discover the truth of who we are. Sometimes, when we walk through sorrow and distress, we feel we are losing everything – security, joy, friends, family, hope, ourselves. Not far from this point, however, is the hope of sight. For we become what we behold. Like Jacob when he increased his flocks by setting them before special palm branches in mating season, sight has procreative potential – to produce in me what I see in God.

Light is a candid camera. Light is not simply an antidote to darkness. It far surpasses the black of night. Light is dawning day. Light is knowledge and the lens of perspective. Light is godly character and the telescope of divine wisdom. Light is joy and hope reflecting rainbows in my wine crystal. Light is knowing, seeing, being like God.

Joie de Lens

Assuredly, I say to you,
unless you are converted and become as little children,
you will be no means enter the kingdom of heaven
Matt 18:3

Joie de lens is a turn of phrase which I coined from its sister term in French “joie de vivre” or “the joy of living.” Marrying poetry with photography to create literary lyricism and picturesque imagery; this is what “joie de lens” or “the joy of perspective” is all about. It is about life viewed through aqua-coloured sweetness - the ever-hoping lens of God’s Word, It is about crystal focus and glass-clear clarity patterned with the beauty of God’s goodness. It is God’s minutely microscopic precision in etching what is lovely and true unto a gem soul. It is about seeing through spectacles of truth which place all things in their rightful place. I see past, I see into. I see the heart of man, and not the many layers which conceal it. I see who I am and who I will become. I stand on mountaintops as I journey through valleys, I sail to the horizon as I sit by the shore, I climb Jacob’s ladder as rest in sleep. Joie de lens – it is the joy of admiring the panorama of God’s purpose from heavenly heights. It is the eagle eye of majesty, nobility and grandeur gliding far above and way beyond what was darkly destined for us. It is a fixed gaze of piercing intensity that gives us a clear sighting of divine design. It is the transparent eye of God mirroring His nature as I draw near and behold in His perfection my possibilities. It is divine wisdom seeing through all and holding up a looking glass, promising that I will sight who I really am in Him. Joie de lens is innocent, child-like trust in God; trust that leaps into His arms to rest peacefully. Joie de Lens – the joy of seeing, the delight of knowing, the thrill of being and the celebration of becoming. As I peer into the enchanting pool of His very nature, magical moments are mirrored back into my days. As I linger beside His streams of delight, placid reflections pour peace into my soul because I come to see, I come to know … there is always hope.

Eyes

Eyes

My eyes are windows to my soul
If you peep in, you’ll see who I am
My eyes are windows looking out
To appreciate another man
When the curtains are drawn
It means that I’m asleep
Maybe for the night
Or forever resting deep

©NnekaEdwards2006

Whe de Lamp!

Whe de lamp!

Meh sisteh in de dark
‘Cause current gone an’ cut
Ah have a little spark
But yuh feel dat daiz enough?

What ah single match go do
When all about pitch black
Ah go leave she in she stew
‘Cause one match cyah galavant

Ah have meh candle pack away
One sittin’ pretty on de ledge
But it well borin’ an’ it plain
Ah go let it sit right dere!

Mamah, what people go say?
Dey go talk meh to de ground
Let miss lady kilketay
Ah cyah help she one pound

Lawdee lawd, ah well forget
Torchlight store way in de back
But steups! Is vex ah vex!
It rustin an’ it crack

Meh flambeau doh have pretty dress
So ah shame to pass it down
Leave miss madam in she stress
Before meh business all in town

Leh meh lie down on meh bed
Leh meh take a chinkee nap
But is when yuh rest yuh head
Is when it have voice callin’ in de back

Who is dat outside, boy?
Leh meh go an’ check
Ay, ay, gyul is you?!
So yuh nearly break yuh neck?!

Walkin’ roun’ in de dark
Yuh bonx yuh toe ten times
An’ de pot leave ah mark
‘Cause yuh was hottin’ bush tea wid lime?

Now yuh head hot hot hot
Yuh doh know what to do
‘Cause yuh doh have no light
Yuh in monkey pants fuh true!

Well, sistren, what ah could give?
Ah cyah leave yuh frettin so
Ah just have some few lil’ tings
But they not so good, yuh know

Yuh say yuh wouldn’t decline?
De torchlight not so bruise
The candle and match is fine
All dat could use?!

Well ah learn something today
Ah learn meh lesson well
At last, deeray, deeray
Ah could read an’ ah could spell

Water more than flour
Is never no excuse
To leave your bredren sour
By neglect, which is abuse

Crappo smoke yuh pipe
Daiz not de way to think
If yuh feel dat daiz alright
Well yuh really need some licks

Monkey could break he back
But not me, not I, no Sah!
Ah have plenty pommerac
To give way to all all yuh!

Some place in de Book
Dey’s talk about a light
When everybody look
It supposed to be real bright

Small, medium, jumbo size
It doh matter what in han’
If is one thing … Doh hide!
Move wid de master plan!

All ah we is firefly
Lightin’ up de night
Dottin up de sky
In luminary flight

Look how I wax lyrical
Never knew ah had it so!
If ah flash a little bit
Is de more of me will glow

Like stars to de sky
So is we to dis dark world
It ain’t have no better sight
Dan when yuh lamp does burn!

Crick Crack

©NnekaEdwards2003

Catching Snowflakes

I love catching snowflakes. They sit in my palms like frosty flowers and if I am not quick enough, they melt away before I can truly capture them. They float into my thoughts like sparkling gifts of genius. Sometimes they come in a flurry of creativity. Sometimes they alight in a shy drizzle. When I sense them, I reach out and say, “Thank you God for sharing your snowflakes with me.” I sometimes wonder if one day I wouldn’t run out of these crystal treats, and then I find comfort in the fact that countless of those pretty flakes are created, and they are kindly and generously sent. That warms my heart like the first dawn of spring. Silver designs snow here and there, and maybe someone else somewhere is catching them just like I do and making pretty things with them; pretty as poetry … for that is what they are. Snowflakes are pieces of literary genius crafted somewhere beautiful, each with a unique pattern and something special to say. Some people catch snowflakes and marvel, wondering where they come from. When I catch snowflakes, I look up to the sky and marvel that God shares His crystal pen with me; that every time a beautiful image glows into my thoughts, every time a line of rhyme tickles my senses, every time some incomprehensible sweetness floats into my soul, I have a newly-patterned wonder that brings joy to a friend and delight to the world – a perfect snowflake gift that speaks truthfully, cares kindly and promises surely. I love catching snowflakes.