%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 22 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 19 0 R /GS4 20 0 R /GS5 24 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20251014145140+00'00') /ModDate (D:20251014145140+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1471 >> stream xWMs6W챝a~SJ8q&i:=@$$1  2ÞSRӌǢA@ǟz8u,Y.馤 K͆^7?I7ofyA 4 K1K0.x=?J/ -?wN"dȭY,J>(gEb9xر~3d^j8>5,\}!#}X|>=^R5_oo/Gyd }rn tjDIF -|&t%[YTchTV3 B,[="Y k175Ijuwvͅd>iF[bhזӷ% 9[,nɉSڜͰ+w(GiiQlz3Wj#̧ר;jk,Ԁ\`zgk1Z"8h!'D:OSAMn`Cǧ>{ORNP]#6LE]Պ>qt|mwJS4r_"&kތS XsĘTE^98Zq@0j^>Da~ :ȝ~Ar9^7ZMHn[eDmH]\ۑHLM Õ>/asi+czN> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 18 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 19 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 21 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 23 0 R >> endobj 23 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1507 >> stream xWn6)&piKKдM A؀A\%L*Ie>@_oJ]LE|373ų6 XEpi6gO!2XRVpEpR@N4h`OVZw> jxD*;a@ï'0UΊq\{FZm<tގ}׵6 =U:{ܽŘ0NZ "*hWsm+ڣa ˎo(QBI|{ {d`{EiZpcCƒe0v#ݖE8-<v0Ǐ-4ZKia 3)JDzTN {;^KSzCe޷ŁDICyͶdBTƬCJrD9arZO5u=s` ){\9m:Kth !ډ?>~ CxEEH@&:"CbIj,Ӥzt {L;k0I?['~+L-VWz3aP7ab*-KB"~H/iOB&w?vZ Ik%> "ay+l.nRI_h0b34Asf"' 8 JVBb&~)C AT|LC?>_JOP t񓭯`\R$ ;٨`8?_ o{/Ngb$~b=+`8)Wldwhw!T!?[6Kt+a%Wy]>pk9]SA-;Ў~WgˋX?\I5(S,cIĒbvV]=Q<\02g=t.]e8,,!^#3g,eŢC |?١kV|>un?^\N7alN1=|W|8.`)Ŕαei @y>T":YL.g endstream endobj 24 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.67 >> endobj xref 0 25 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000413 00000 n 0000000442 00000 n 0000000591 00000 n 0000000694 00000 n 0000002238 00000 n 0000002345 00000 n 0000002453 00000 n 0000002563 00000 n 0000002676 00000 n 0000002792 00000 n 0000002821 00000 n 0000002931 00000 n 0000002988 00000 n 0000003045 00000 n 0000003074 00000 n 0000003103 00000 n 0000003162 00000 n 0000003221 00000 n 0000003250 00000 n 0000003355 00000 n 0000004936 00000 n trailer << /Size 25 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<9b435b42fe44df95f3102f1577851d6e><9b435b42fe44df95f3102f1577851d6e>] >> startxref 4996 %%EOF Focus | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Focus

April 30, 1996
3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

 

Blinding Blizzards

By Major Anne Pickup – 

 

Major Bill Pickup has sustained severe complications following surgery for cancer of the esophagus. He has stabilized, but his condition is critical at publication. His family requests your prayers. Messages of encouragement may be sent to: 5720 Shadow Ridge Dr., Castro Valley, CA 94552.

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus-they were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him.” Luke 24: 13-16

The “Road to Emmaus” is a familiar scene of the Easter drama. Maybe-like me-you have wondered why it was that these two, Cleopas and an unnamed person, missed knowing it was Jesus who walked with them. They had clearly been in Jerusalem as followers of Jesus. They knew how “powerful in word and deed” Jesus was and they “had hoped He was the redeemer of Israel.” Ironically, they remembered Jesus saying He would rise from the dead on the third day, and this was the third day-but they were confused and blinded.

How could they be so blind to who was walking with them? Is it possible we are blinded from seeing Jesus in our lives in the same way?

They Were Blinded by Different Expectations

These two travelers, and many other Jews with them, were looking for a military or political redeemer of Israel. One who would free them from slavery to foreign rulers. They never expected their Redeemer to come on a spiritual level, freeing them from the bondage of sin.

How often have we defined how God should come to us? We expect He will answer our prayer a certain way. We are looking for God to function according to our expectationsÉand then we miss Him because He came differently than we imagined!

They Were Blinded by Their Tears

With the death of Jesus and the disappearance of His body their hopes were destroyed. Their dreams of deliverance faded with every step taken away from Jerusalem. They were devastated.

When we are distressed by life’s difficulties, when circumstances confuse us and pain is expressed in tears, we too have been blinded from seeing Jesus. Storms of life can become blinding blizzards and Jesus can seem very illusive.

They Were Blinded by Their Lack of Faith in the Mystery of God

It’s really quite stunning that they were so sure of this prophet’s power, and knew of His prediction of resurrection, and still they didn’t believe. They had heard the testimony of several people who had seen the empty tomb and still they didn’t believe. They simply did not have faith in thy mysterious power of God that could work beyond human knowledge. They did not believe in the supernatural.

Don’t be too critical… we are blined by the same thing! Ours is a scientific world that demands empirical evidence. Anything that functions outside the laws of nature is not automatically deemed supernatural, but needing further investigation that will lead to perfectly logical explainations.

But God is supernatural. He still performs miracles. He is able to function outside the laws of nature. God is also beyond our ability to understand, therefore, mysterious. Rather than be blinded by our need to reason things out and understand everything, could we see God more often if we allowed Him to surprise us?

“Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus!”

 

 

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like