Look Up

 

On a recent morning, I had the privilege of standing atop a balcony overlooking the Guatemalan terrain. I stared out at the beauty surrounding me, the matching rooftops of houses below; the mountainous landscape in the distance. The otherworldly volcano erupting smoke and ash in the backdrop…

In that moment, I saw a thousand different splendors that reemphasized the magnitude of God’s creative hand to me. Everything I could touch and see and smell and hear was a testament of God’s authority. But as I sat on the pavement and listened and watched in awe of who God is, I felt Him whisper to me “Close your eyes, and look up.” The degree of paradox in that statement was not lost to me, but I did as told and closed my eyes, lifting my face towards His sky.

I felt the sun hit my eyelids, establishing a clear differentiation between light and dark. The sun’s light grew brighter and brighter, almost to the point of me squinting from its rays even within the comfort of closed eyes. It was then that I felt Him speak, “There are no physical boundaries I cannot cross.”

This gentle yet powerful reminder of the magnitude of who God is was a new awakening for me. It’s impeccable how easy it is for us to forget His determination to love us, His undying passion of pursuit for our hearts. And one of the greatest aspects of this type of unprecedented love is that the physical boarders we place around our hearts and souls are not obstacles for Jesus. He needs no sledgehammer or bulldozer to pass through our intricately woven web of faithlessness and doubt. The same God who created the mountains too high to climb and the oceans too deep to swim across is the God who chose the colors of our eyes and the shapes of our smiles. He is the same God who tethered our hearts to His with a heavenly thread.

As I dove deeper into revelation on this concept, I began to see the deeper meaning behind the limitlessness of God. I was reminded of Matthew 18:20, which says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

I have always considered this scripture to be a representation of the body of Christ effectively operating together in unison, gathering under the protection and authority of the same name: Jesus. But as I search underneath the surface of these words, I recognize that there are no physical barriers between the body of Christ when we are gathered together and in agreement in prayer. No matter if you are a pastor in the mountains of Colorado, or a college student in Bangkok, Thailand. Whether you are a farmer on the plains of Idaho or a primary school teacher in the Belizean jungle, physical distance has never been an obstacle for God, therefore it is not an obstacle for those who believe in and serve Him.

The Lord has been opening my heart and mind up to unity now more than ever before. During this trying season of balancing the many ins and outs, ups and downs of full time missions work, I have begun to understand the significance of Christian connection. There is a boundlessness attached to operating in the Kingdom—a beautiful freedom that knows no limitation save for the limitations we bestow upon it in our limited faith. There is an interweaving of believers from all walks of life, from diverse backgrounds and differing ethnicities to varied church settings and denominations. God’s kingdom Church is breaking down the barriers and constraints we have placed on His plan for too many generations to count.

And as I walk the streets of San Antonio Aguas Calientes in prayer with my team, as I sit in the corner of a quaint coffee shop and soak in God’s Word, as I revel in the beauty of God’s creation on a balcony overlooking the beautiful city I’ve been sent to for the first month of this grand odyssey, I can so evidently see the Heaven God’s Church is bringing to Earth. 

 

You Are Loved,

Aliseya