"Not Of this World"

of: prep. Used as a function word to indicate belonging or a possessive relationship.

Pulling up behind the beast of a truck at the stop sign, the ornate font of the message on the back window made it difficult to readily read. As we both waited, I made out the words: notofthisworld. The message immediately touched me.

Mulling over the truth of that window sticker, I continued to follow the truck after my turn at the stop sign as it became evident we were both heading the same direction.

The world and everything in it is in utter, total, and complete chaos. Disdain for the sitting President of our nation is evidenced across the land; the tranquil peace of those in Europe has been disrupted by riots; parts of South America are riddled by discontent, and Central America is no better. 

Military power is being touted by countries controlled by dictators; still others have expressed the desire and intention to annihilate all who disagree with their religious beliefs, those they call "infidels." 

In my own space, a local citizen was shot and killed in front of a middle school 100 yards away from my home after drawing his own gun, firing first shots at a police officer. I heard the shots and the screams as I sat at my computer.

Recent legislation and the celebration of it allowing an infant to be aborted from 24 weeks to birth sickened me. At the same time there is a total disregard for laws already in place by those who created and enacted them.

Division, hatred, and anger is rampant.

How can one find peace in the midst of such turbulence? Personally, the message given to me is to look up, not down. I am not of this world.  I am in it, but not of it. Simply expressed, I do not belong to it; I do belong to my Creator and His world.

Think of it in terms of a family, a group of people, a citizenship where the same experiences, goals, or ideals are shared. It is not only where one belongs, but where one fits. I do not fit in this world.

I found my little blue truck was stalking the red beast as I followed. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I wanted to meet the driver and thank him/her for the reminder given in that window sticker. The truck turned onto a gravel road leading into an industrial parking lot where the driver parked. I got out of my truck and went up to her. “What does the sticker in your window say?” She repeated what I already knew then asked, “Are you ‘not of this world’ too?” Nodding, I thanked her for the reminder to focus on God and not the insanity that is prevalent.

I have no idea what her name is; she doesn’t know mine. But we are of a like mind and we connected.

And so my life continues, having been reminded that God is in charge, that there is a much larger picture being played out than I can see, and that I am part of His plan and not that of the world. And it is eternal.