WHAT MATTERS MOST:

Hi, beloved friends. I am reaching way back into the archives today.

Recovery has been slow and I am still sick. My lungs have been the slowest to respond, and, along with the incessant coughing, is excruciating pain from either torn cartilage or a cracked rib.

The puzzle has been why it has been so hard for me to just get well. I am due for some tests tomorrow that may shed some light on why my immune system seems so weak. I’ll keep you updated.

But, for now, something I wrote over a decade ago when marveling over the invitation that is ours to know the One who calls us His own. The God of the universe, revealed in Jesus Christ, longs for relationship with us. I’m still not over His invitation to draw near.

May it bless and encourage you today.

𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐎:

I can know about
the Theory of Relativity.
Or the sum of all the numbers
divisible by three.

The periodic table
and the planets deep in space.
Inventions and discoveries
from every time and place.

The faces on Mt. Rushmore
and the dates each war began.
Birds’ migratory patterns
and the origin of man.

I can even know about the Bible:
Chapters, books, and verses.
The names of each disciple,
blessings, covenants, and curses,

The order of creation
and each prophecy fulfilled.
The lineage of Jesus
and the stormy waves He stilled.

I could know it all
but miss the most important thing:
Intimate communion
with my Sovereign Lord and King.

Dwelling with the One
whose presence fits me like a glove,
I’ve come to see that knowledge
is no substitute for love.

Nor learning facts about Him,
but knowing Him instead.
The One who inventories
every hair upon my head.

The One who sees each sparrow
and hearkens when I call.
The One who bottles and records
each, tiny tear that falls.

The One who orders every step
and orchestrates events.
The One who cleanses and forgives
the moment we repent.

And knowing Him is all
He ever wanted from the start.
An endeavor that delights His soul
and captivates His heart.

“So, come,” He says, “and know Me well.
All other goals renounce.
Remember, it’s not what you know.
It’s who you know that counts.”

© copyright 2011 Beverly Carroll

Jeremiah 9:23,24
Philippians 3:10