The State I'm In

posted Nov 15, 2013, 5:55 AM by Jon Rumfelt

Have you ever wondered why people cry when they are touched by the presence of God? I mean, why not any of the other emotions? Sure, some laugh, some do some weird things, but for the most part, everyone cries. I thought about this while in my prayer closet this morning. Yes, I was crying, but that's not why I'm writing this. As I sat in the truck I glanced up at the frosted windshield, turned the heater on full defrost, and waited. Then it dawned on me. Some science (Cause everyone loves science) There are three states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas (Some argue a fourth as plasma, but that's just a super hot gas).  As the coldest of the three, solid tends to make no motion (or very little at a molecular level) and is very logical in its makeup. The molecules are organized in a very specific pattern. Second is the liquid. It flows easily, takes the shape of the container it's in, and as you can see is random and free flowing at the molecular level. And finally, Gas. Gas is evaporated liquid. The physical is gone, the atoms just pass each other by. Ok, Science class if over! We'll be talking about the first two, Solid and Liquid. I started watching the frost melt from solid to liquid on the windshield. Mesmerized I stared intently as some unseen force (unseen with my eyes) began interacting with the windshield and the blanket of frost that covered it. I watched intensely as it turned from a beautiful pattern of logic, into a random puddle of water droplets. The remaining liquid that held on was soon evaporated into a gas.     I can't link directly, but go here to watch a quick timelapse of a windshield defrosting, if you have never seen it!     http://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/12564347/timelapse-windshield-defrosting.html I felt a surge of emotion as I realized that without God, we are lifeless, frozen in a solid state. In that state we rely on ourselves to maintain order and logic. We can't flow with others, we are square pegs in round holes. And anything that isn't our shape or state is out of control. And like the frost on my windshield, there is no transparency, only secrets. It's when we allow God to sit in the driver's seat and turn on the defrost that we begin to see a change. But we don't SEE the warmth, we feel it, and we can see its effects. The ice turned to liquid right before my eyes.  He melts the ice in our hearts, allowing us to flow freely, be more flexible, take the shape of the container we are put in as we "go with the flow" and allow things to happen. Water doesn't get stressed out when it can't flow, it finds the path of least resistance, or the more peaceful path. And as the ice melts, it causes a great deal of water to flow, and we cry. We cry because order has been replaced by obedience to God's direction of flow. We cry because life has taken over the lifeless. We cry because now we can see through the veil that has covered our view. We cry because we are no longer in control. We cry because our hearts are warmed with love and compassion. Have you let God defrost you? Psalm 51:10 (NIV) says "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Water purifies, it cleanses, and it washes away. Something a frost covered heart can't do. So from here out, I'm going to let God keep my windshield free of frost. After all, a windshield doesn't decide where the car is going, it only allows the driver to see through it while keeping the wind out of His eyes, even if it's water in mine. What state are you in? Matter type images from - http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/atoms/states.html Defrost image from - http://www.psd100.com/defrost-icon/#.UoYf_sSkq1Q