Good EVENING!

That’s different, right? This week’s email is super late and I really do apologize for it. I hope your Monday has been a good one. Here’s a little bit of what’s been going on with mine:

Today was the first day of our elementary summer program at Richmond Prep. The day started around 5:45 am. I woke up, did a quick prayer and devotional, did a morning run with my dog, Max, ironed my clothes, showered and jetted straight out of the door. The day was full-steam-ahead from there: staffing issues, adjusting budgets, running errands around town… It was just a little bit insane.

I got home a few minutes ago and sat down and thought “you’ve forgotten something.”

Isn’t it easy for things to slip our minds? Isn’t it easy to forget important things, getting carried away with the minutia of the day to day? That’s exactly what happened to me today. I sat down and it struck me - “what was today’s email?” I prayed a quick prayer asking God to forgive me for being so derelict and to guide me with what to say. He said to me “be honest.” So, here I am.

Even though a lot of the stuff on my plate today was important to various areas of my life, writing this email is supposed to be top priority for me each Monday. God gave me clear guidance to do it at the top of the year. Today, I fell off. I got distracted.

Last fall, I was seeking God on how to get my mind straight; how to think more on his terms. I found myself on a trail through the scriptures that began at Romans 12:2. That trail of scriptures ran straight through 2 Corinthians 3:18:

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

At the time I was all about the “transformed” part of this verse, but today, another piece leaps out at me. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory.” In the context of this day, this ‘A’ section of the verse is resonating: “unveiled faces.”

Straight up, today I was so laser focused on my agenda, that I completely forgot about the agenda that God had set. The veil of my own plans, goals and concerns was in the way. These are the breaks! I was so busy "doing" stuff that I missed the most important priority on my work agenda for the day.

This verse has some redemption in it that is keeping me from getting down on myself, though. Yeah… I had some stuff in the way of my clear view of what God wanted me to do today. But, I’m glad to know that his spirit is continuously working in me to remove the veil - even when I don’t think to try and see my way clear of it.

Maybe that’s what happened when I sat down just now, before running to a couple of evening meetings. Maybe the Spirit came by my house and lifted the veil for a second. In fact, I’m sure that’s what happened! Otherwise, I would’ve gone right on with my day. The verse says this “comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” So, in spite of me today, I’m humbled that God was so gracious to slow me down, and pull back my distractions so I could contemplate him and his completely satisfying glory!

One thing I’m learning in my walk with God is this - he really is for me. He knows my heart and he knows my weakness. He isn’t sitting by waiting for me to screw up or forget his assignment, or lose faith. He is ever beside me to encourage me and remind me and rebuild and pull back all the distractions that can sidetrack me from him and his supreme love and glorious grace. He is always there quietly reminding, signaling, pointing the way. Even when I forget what I’m supposed to be doing, he’s there to pull away my veil!

So, as I sit here writing this email, I’m really grateful to God - joyful even. I’m so glad that he moved all the junk of my day aside so I could see him - even if I had forgotten about the assignment he'd given me.

I’m also repentant. I’m asking God to help me to keep space clear so I can see him. I want to see eye-to-eye with God, and my prayer is that God will help me see the world that way in increasing measure every day! I’m praying the same for you, too.

So, I apologize for the late email today, but (at least for me,) there was a pretty good lesson that came as a result.

Enjoy the rest of your week. Here’s to living life without the veil!

Questions? I got em!

What does it even mean to contemplate God’s glory?

What are some of the things that distract me from fellowship with God?

Do I leave margin in my schedule for interaction with God or am I always rushing around?

What kinds of indicators do I see in my life that may be God’s way tugging at my proverbial “veil”?