A Secret Window

“When he was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” Luke 24:31-32

I used to attend a christian, summer, theatre camp as a high school student. During my first summer as a camper, two things happened that changed my life. First, and most importantly, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. On the final night of camp, as has happened to so many young Christians before me, I heard the gospel message, and I responded by laying down my life to follow Jesus.

The second thing that happened to me that week, was that I was cast in my first ever lead role as Danny Zuko in a shortened, Christianized version of Grease the musical. During the week, whenever we weren’t worshipping or playing crazy games, we were rehearsing on the stage of the chapel where we would eventually perform come week’s end. I would venture to say that if there were 100 hours in that week of camp, nearly 40 of them were spent on that stage.

However, at the end of the final performance, we all took our bows and finished with the traditional point to Jesus (a tradition at this camp and theatre company). As I shot my hand in the air, really knowing what this point meant for the first time, my eyes caught a glimpse of something I’d never seen before. Just above the stage, wedged in the ceiling was a tiny window. As the stage lights faded to black around me, that little window was the only source of light in the darkness of the auditorium.

I remember asking myself, “How have I never seen that window before?” I had been dancing, rehearsing, and performing on that stage all week, but I hadn’t noticed it until now.

I think this is often how God works in our lives. He’s there, hovering just out of sight the whole time, even when we can’t see him. This was the case for Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus. They had no idea it was Jesus until he broke the bread and opened their eyes. Just as I didn’t know that window was above the stage until I raised my hand and looked up. But just because we’ve never seen it before, doesn’t mean that it, or he hasn’t been there the whole time.

PRAYER: Dear God, I thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus, and for the blood that has washed me clean. I thank you that you are ever present in my life, even when I can’t see, hear, or understand it. I pray that you would open my eyes to see you on every step of this journey as we walk together.