|
Learn - Front Row Seat
|
Front Row Seat
Learn
1 Cor 13:12
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! The Message
Are you a front row Christian? I learn better from the front row. For most of my married life, I’ve had an excuse to walk up to the front of the church, even when I was running late. Up until we moved to Phoenix, Bob played bass guitar in our Sunday morning services. When Bob was finished, he always sat down on the second pew – which for Baptists was the front row since we reserve the real front row for deacons taking up offering and for alter calls. When I sit on the front row, I can look directly at the speaker and listen and learn without distractions.
Belle recently learned about the front row. Up until we got Halleluiah, she couldn’t get into the front seat. In our former vehicles, the aisle between the front 2 seats was too narrow for her to jump up into the passenger seat. In the former camper Belle settled for the middle or back seats. She happily ran from seat to seat watching the sights. It didn’t bother her a bit that the middle seat only allowed her to see out the right side. She didn’t know any better. When she wanted a better view, she ran to the back, where she could see all the way around. The fact that she was watching what was already behind us seemed to be fine – until she discovered the front row.
For the first couple of weeks of the 2007 journey, I used the front row passenger seat to store things. I’ve always kept Belle’s food between the two front seats. In Halleluiah, Belle discovered that she had room to get in front of the food and curl up on the floor between the seats.
Belle and I both enjoyed her being so close to me but she couldn’t see outside from the floor. Seeing is important because when either of us spots an animal, we have cues. When I see something I want Belle to see, I yell the words “Cow, Belle” and she runs to the window to look outside. When she sees the deer, cow, buffalo, or what ever I saw, she goes to barking. That command originally started in Florida when we passed cows but now “Cow, Belle” has become the magic words for any animal sighting. Since Belle can’t talk, when she spots an animal I haven’t yet seen, she barks and claws at the window. The problem with her sightings was that when she was in the back seat, by the time she alerts me to the delight waiting outside, I am already past the sighting. It dawned on me that if she was in the front seat, she could alert me to animal sightings in time for us both to enjoy them.
Immediately, I pulled Halleluiah over and cleared out the front seat. Belle watched carefully. When the seat was empty, I pointed and said, “Belle, get in the seat.”
She looked at me like I was crazy. I said it again a little firmer. “Belle, get in the seat. Come on. You can do this. I promise you’ll like it.” I patted the seat.
Belle wasn’t convinced there was room for her to jump. After a few minutes of coaxing, she warily jumped up. When Belle got in the seat, she stood at attention, looking front, left, and right. She was in awe. Her entire perspective of the world had changed. Now, as we drive, Belle and I compete for who sees an animal first. She no longer runs from front to back. She doesn’t want to miss any of her front row seat. The only time she rides in the back is when I’m backing up Halleluiah and she thinks I need a back row helper.
Occasionally, I forget and put a map or a camera in the front seat. Belle never forgets. She stands between the seats and barks until I clear her spot. When Bob joined us in Philadelphia, Belle thought she should get the front passenger seat instead of me. Every time we got in the car, she raced me for the passenger seat. I stood my ground – or should I say sat my seat – but Belle was insulted and made sure we got the message. She stood between us, looking quite aggravated. Now that she understood how limited the middle and back row views were, she was no longer satisfied with anything but a front row seat.
While it is true that we can never see things clearly on earth, we can improve our view. Our view improves every time we begin our day with prayer, meditation, and Bible Study. Our view improves by going to church, fellowshipping with Christians, having a Christian mentor, or being involved in a Bible Study. The more we learn who God is, the better we will hear His voice when He speaks and recognize His hand in everything we do. Once we have a front row seat with God, we will never be satisfied with anything less.
|
|