I got to go on a tour at Hearst’s Castle in San Simeon recently. I am always stunned when I see all the valuable stuff that Hearst collected for his vacation home! On the tour, the guide told us to look at the ceilings in each of the rooms. Most of them had come from castles or estates from Europe. And she told us that none of the ceilings were bought and then the rooms built to fit them. They were purchased and then most of them have a border that they used to extend these centuries old ceilings to fit the dimensions of the particular room. We went into the “billiard room” and there was this beautiful ceiling that was bright with red and white and gold that decorated every part of it. But surrounding it was the “spacer” that went between the wall and this imported treasure covering the room. The tour guide said that when the ornate ceiling was purchased in Europe, it was brown like the filler piece that surrounded it. But as a part of the preservation and restoration of the room, they began a decade long project of cleaning the imported ceiling. They had carefully cleaned all the intricate carvings with one Q-Tip at a time. The brown ceiling was that way because of the dirt and grime that had covered it over the centuries. And they discovered the trim was added later when they found out that it wouldn’t change color like the rest of this treasure. It was purchased thinking it was a dull brown and then they matched it with an ornate spacer all around it. And only now has the truth of this object of art been revealed. Hearst and his contemporaries never knew the beauty that was hidden just above their heads! For us there is much that we live out our lives not ever knowing is really right there for us…because it has been hidden. The Bible says that the great revelation that has come to us here who journey on earth is to find out the greatness of the love of God. It has always been there, but until it was revealed in Christ Jesus no one had ever known the real majesty and splendor and greatness of that love. But in this Jesus of the Bible we not only get to see this treasure that has been revealed to us, but we can now experience it and celebrate it and even share it with others. And the really good news about this love is that there is no power in all of creation that can ever separate you and me from that love of God that has been revealed in Christ Jesus. And each one of us gets to experience this love personally and keep it forever. And the crazy thing is that this treasure has always been right there for us all…and we couldn’t see it, until it was revealed to our hearts and minds and spirits. And if you are not experiencing that love, know that it is right there waiting to be discovered by every heart that wants it. Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Romans 8:39 NLT No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Remember I’m praying for you!
With love, PJ
Romans 8:39 NLT No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Remember I’m praying for you!
With love, PJ