“Spiritual Disorientation”
August 20, 2012
“At the Trailhead”
Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
(photo by Howard Blichfeldt)
Listen to this message on your audio player.
“Spiritual Disorientation”
Yesterday afternoon Brooksyne and I went to the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show in the little resort village of Mount Gretna PA. There were thousands of people attending the show and parking was at a distant location requiring a shuttle bus. So I decided to park on a side road at the fringe of the village and then we enjoyed the meandering paths between the cottages till we found the art show.
Here’s a photo of the path between the cottages.Following the show we assisted our photographer friend Howard Blichfeldt dismantle his display and by the time we were done it was dark. Confident in my tracking abilities I set back through the now dark village to find the van. I headed in what I thought was the right direction but the cottages are so similar and the paths so winding I got lost, really lost. I decided I would do the smart thing and use the gps on my phone but that just got me more confused since I didn’t know where I was parked by a named street, just the landmarks I had seen along the way.
After awhile Brooksyne called worrying about me as I took so long and Howard was ready to search for me, but alas I finally found some landmarks I recalled from the afternoon and what a blessed sight that van was!
To use an old term I had “lost my bearings” which I found very unsettling! More technically speaking I had a form of spatial disorientation.
Many of you may recall the plane accident that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. and two passengers years ago. At that time I lived in New England, not far from the crash site off Martha’s Vineyard. Most aviation experts feel it was likely that Kennedy experienced a phenomenon known as “spatial disorientation”. In flight a pilot can become so confused in haze or darkness without landmarks that he has absolutely no sense of direction. This is very serious for pilots who do not have instrument rating. A pilot may feel he is going straight ahead when in fact he is diving down!
But there’s a much more serious form of disorientation, which affects all of mankind in the spiritual realm. Rather than spatial disorientation I call it “spiritual disorientation”. Amazingly though, most are not even aware of its affect or even that they are disoriented. Worse yet they give little consideration to the eventual consequences of this disorientation. What a serious “woe” is expressed in our daily text. “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”
Other Scripture verses describe this disorientation. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25).
Circumstances in our world seem to be ever more confusing and the earnest believer must be vigilant in keeping the proper spiritual orientation. As believers we must cry out today with the Psalmist, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). We trust in the One of whom it is written, “He will be the sure foundation for your times” (Isaiah 33:6). And “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). Praise the Lord! Keep your spiritual orientation today.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Jesus, You are the Solid Rock that keeps us anchored in this vast landscape of shifting sands. Our unfading hope is secured in Your finished work on the cross and our guide map is the inspired Holy Scriptures that make us wise unto salvation. Help us to resist the temptation to look further or to add to Your clearly prescribed plan for living a life that pleases You. We offer to You our lives as living sacrifices. May they be holy and pleasing to You. Amen.
Howard (left in photo) had a lot of folks stop by his display. He became our friend several years ago through daily encouragement and we had him over for dinner Friday evening before the show.
He desires to use his photographic skills to honor the Lord. You can see some examples of his inspirational photos here. He has a powerful way of relating his photographs (which are outstanding in themselves) with a Scripture text or inspirational saying.
By helping Howard we sure gained a new appreciation for the world of those who display their skills in art shows. Not only do they demonstrate their artistic skills which have a quite a variety, but the labor in putting up and taking down these displays is formidable!
There were sure a lot of people viewing the art and we had a beautiful day!
People have appreciation for various types of art. Let me show several examples that I especially appreciated.
This artist completely devoted his work to barns and the frames were made of old barn wood!
This man made spin tops which for me prompted a memory of a dear man in our church in New England. Antonio Figueredo, a Portuguese immigrant who is now with the Lord made these and gave me one which I still treasure on my memory shelf.
This artist creates his art from old pieces of industrial equipment!
Ministry Update (Revised 5/12)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
