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We walk by faith, not by sight. II CORINTHIANS 5:7 KJV

The Greater Reality

For me, life on earth is full of the abundance Jesus speaks of in John 10:10, when he says He came that we might have life, and “have it more abundantly.” I live in a beautiful country setting, in a peaceful hamlet called Ozark on the Arkansas River. I have a wonderful husband, precious children, my extended family all around me, and I love my job. At times the kingdom of heaven is so near I can almost see it, touch it, feel it. And yet, this is not one of those times.

This week, the small town where I live has been touched by two major tragedies. The suicide of a school leader and the reported rape of a former “Miss OHS” in her new home in Mississippi has left everyone reeling. People are asking “Why?” Families are grieving. Churches are praying. I am lying awake at night pondering the mystery of suffering.

Both times this week I was informed of the news by a phone call. A strange thing happened as I listened to the people who told me each heartbreaking story. Of course I felt sad, and also shocked. But the more I listened I also felt anger rising up—at the enemy. His breath seemed so near I could almost smell it, taste it, feel it. He was glad to hear the bad news. His is the kingdom of this earth.

As evil has once more surfaced in my personal version of Eden, I have been reminded again that no matter how good life is at times here, this world is not our home. And I have been challenged to walk according to the laws of a different country. We can walk according to our circumstances, or the climate of our surroundings, which can quickly change as mine did this week. Or we can walk by faith, choosing, instead of the natural reality we can see, the spiritual reality that is in Jesus. We can cling to eternal truths no matter what wind is blowing through the kingdom of this world.

“Peace always—in all things,” advises Amy Carmichael. I must lift up my eyes above the kingdom of this world, and find my help in the Lord. Peace is possible in all things for those who walk by faith.

Gwen Ford Faulkenberry

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