PruittWrites

10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

I’ve heard about Ezekiel’s vision since I was a child, but what I had not known is an early Church association Irenaeus began concerning the Gospels. He had heard Polycarp, a disciple of John preach, and was influential in the second century. Since this writer, tradition has associated each of the four gospels with one of the faces.

Matthew the man because it talks of Christ’s humanity. Mark the lion because it begins with a cry in the wilderness, which the early Church connected with the lion. Luke the ox because of sacrifice, atonement, and priesthood. Finally John because it begins in eternity and the eagle climbs higher than any other bird.

Irenaeus also supported four gospels and not additional ones. He believed that as we have four winds, four corners of the Earth, and four living creatures, there would be four gospels. Something else I didn’t know is that Venice adopted Mark as their patron saint, and that’s why you see the lion in Venice. Now I’ve seen Venice in writings and paintings for decades without any idea of all of this. What’s the key takeaway of all of this?

Do the people we talk to everyday in realize the impact of the Gospel in our own lives, or do symbols we assume are self explanatory go unnoticed? If someone walked beside you each day, would they know you’ve been transformed by Christ? Or would they simply see outer results without hearing of the deeper transformation?

The Gospels declare God’s life, death, burial, and resurrection, do we communicate it in our lives? When we don’t allow Christ’s light to impact those around us, testimonies can become statues and scenery. It’s when we allow the Gospel to shine through us that it’s meaning will transform those around us because it has changed us.

One of the first things Pastor Denny Livingston showed me in Nashville was the Batman building. It wasn’t just a building, or a connection to something I liked, it meant so much more than that. He didn’t connect with people for himself, he connected with people to pour into them. At his core was a love for God, followed closely by a love for people.

A love that sought to make their lives better, to do more than just walk together, but to give them something. He viewed every relationship in his life as something to treasure, to cherish, and to give to rather than take from. What so many miss about him, because they see all of the amazing things he did, was the heart behind it all.

Every great leader I know shares that one thing, a heart for others. Their gifts may differ, styles may change, but that heart for others is present in everything they do. I’m striving to be that kind of person because I’ve been poured into by those who’s one desire was to pour in rather than take from.

Recently I drew a emperor penguin swimming, which looks a lot like flying. We all love the eagle and how it soars, but did you realize that an emperor penguin can dive about 1,850 feet? That’s deeper than many skyscrapers are tall, they are considered the deepest diving bird ever measured. Sometimes we are so intent on soaring higher, we miss when we are called to deeper.

Every storm won’t be the same. We will not all be called to the same environment, not every bird is the eagle, but all were created by God. Don’t allow your circumstances, situation, or resources to convince you victory isn’t possible, because it is. However one victory may look different for the penguin than the eagle.

If you ever see an emperor penguin at sea in a storm, there’s a good chance you will see them dive at that point. They go to a place where the storm doesn’t affect them, it hasn’t stopped, they’re just beneath it. The storm is never meant to destroy, but to call us deeper.

Deeper doesn’t mean eloquent, and it doesn’t mean we have all the answers. The night I’m referring to, I didn’t leave with answers, but I had been in His presence. Because of that, I was prepared for the next day.

In your life and my life, are we so focussed on what we’re doing that we are neglecting the deeper things? This week I had a couple of stressful days with work and other things, and while I pray regularly, it brought me to a deeper prayer. That night God accomplished in one prayer what I could not in days. I was searching for ways to soar above the clouds when He sent the clouds to call me to something deeper and more important.

In my battle, the effect was internal not external. As far as my eyes could see the storm didn’t change, but the difference He did inside of me was transformative. That does not mean there haven’t been hard days since, one victory doesn’t eliminate future battles. It’s meant to steel you for the next, not eradicate it. We forget this too, because we’re human, but when we focus on Him and not us, things are better.

If you’re reading this and you’re facing a storm, first know you are not isolated. It’s a season when many are in a storm, but seasons come to an end. If you’re in a position where you cannot soar, all of us can dive deeper to a place of peace in Christ.

Great sketchbooks are wonderful, but sometimes inexpensive ones see their limitations add to their beauty. I was reminded of this because some ink bleeding through inspired this sketch of an eagle. Had the perfect paper been inside it, the image would not have been drawn. The message is not to stop striving for the best you can do, just not to miss the beauty of where you’re at because there are limitations. Let them frame the beauty of now, as you seek to make a better tomorrow.