Gravity... A Glorious Paradox

​Gravity illustrates a glorious paradox.

In the beginning, there was goodness and bliss. There were trees ripe with delicious fruit, unrivaled by the grandest of orchards. The vegetation was lush, unlike any garden we've ever been in. It was teeming with life, and it was good.

But something was missing.

From the dirt, God formed something he called "Adam". This man was unlike anything else in the garden. He wasn't a plant. He wasn't just an animal. God talked with him, walked with him, and gave him authority over everything around. God even made a beautiful woman from Adam's flesh. Eve was her name.

Things were very good.

One day, Eve felt a strange tug while talking to the serpent. She decided to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam ate it, too. Sin came in. Death came with it. Now they were rolling down a hill, hitting every rock and branch as they tumbled toward death.

Things were very bad. They took us with them as they fell.

Down, down, down. It’s a rapid descent as we spiral downward. At times, there’s the feeling that our stomachs are in our throats as we plummet so fast. We lament. We grab our fig leaves and try cover up. But God sees us.

Down, down, down. It’s a long way down as we float along the lazy river of ungodliness, feeling weightless. We see a few trout swimming upstream and wonder to ourselves, “What's their problem?”. As we enjoy the warm sunbeams of sinfulness, we don’t realize that rough waters are soon to destroy us.

As we nosedive toward death, by the mercy of God, the sinfulness of sin begins to take on an odious smell, like that of rotting flesh. Everywhere we go, there’s a faint stench that grows more and more foul until we can’t stand it anymore.

We are the ones rotting. The stench is coming from us, and this a grave situation. The gravity of our condition becomes unbearable. If we don't get help soon, we'll be lost forever! It feels like someone turned the gravity up a few notches, and we need a way out of this heaviness!

Then, suddenly our eyes are opened to a different sort of gravity. As we lament our depravity, crying “Woe is me! I am undone!”, the gravity of God’s glory is within our gaze. Suddenly, there's hope for us. The burning coal of God’s grace is placed on our tongues, and the glorious Son is revealed. He says, "Come to me, you who are heavy laden. I will give you rest."

The weight of sin is lifted.

Now the weight of God’s glory becomes our all-consuming passion. Our eyes are set where He is, in His abode. And yet He abides with us and in us until we get there. Day-by-day, moment-by-moment, we are becoming more like the One who opened our eyes and shined bright in our darkened, heavy-laden souls.

The gravity of this paradox compels us to share it with the world.