Wis 13:1-9 / Lk 17:26-37
A friend of mine lost his wife’s diamond ring while bringing in the evening cocktails. The two of them searched high and low, swept the floors, and crawled about on their hands and knees, but all to no avail. As they sipped their drinks, mourning the loss of a precious keepsake, they were in deepest despair till the last ice cubes melted. There on the bottom of the wife’s glass was her ring. It had been literally right under her nose all evening!
That “right under the nose” phenomenon is what today’s Old Testament reading is pressing on our attention. Every day in a thousand ways, God is showing himself to us through the marvels of his creation, both great and small. How much of that do we typically notice? Very little. No wonder we feel so alone and so uncertain about life and the Lord so much of the time. We’re not paying attention!
So open your eyes, look more closely at the beauty that God has filled his world with, and take heart: You’re not alone, and you never have been!