4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NRSV)
I love to read. My favorite genre is literary fiction or just a good story written by a really good and experienced author will satisfy too. What I enjoy about these authors is that they don't write just a surface story; there is always another (usually more important)point that the author hopes to get across. You won't find it in the words of the book... You don't read it... You "feel" it. This is called the "subtext." Often you can't even explain the subtext to another person; it is just an inner knowledge that you take away from the book. People who read books solely for the outer story don't usually find the subtext, but even those who don't are often affected by it anyway.
Spirituality is the subtext of life. You can't see it. It's very difficult to explain. But if you know enough to look for it, you will feel it. And when you feel it, you find it absolutely everywhere!
Our atheist and agnostic brothers and sisters are those who haven't found life's subtext. Their attention is focused on all those things of this world... Things that they can see and touch and taste and hear. In their minds, anything else does not exist.
Very few atheists and agnostics are won by words. They must find the subtext and feel it for themselves. Our job of evangelism will be more successful if we can find ways to help others feel the spiritual thrum of life that lies just under the material world.
Father,
Open the eyes of the hearts of those blind to the spiritual side of life so that they can see this incredible, beautiful subtext that goes on just beyond the reach of our physical senses. Amen.
Joys: an awesome day with Cecelia; a few morning snowflakes yesterday... Just enough to delight; life's subtext
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