From A Distance

By Hilary Jacobs

One night as I looked out at the star-studded sky, I was reminded of that well-known Scripture in Psalm 8: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?”

I closed my eyes and drifted into an imaginary tour of the solar system, led by a Guide who seemed to be the ultimate authority in astronomy. I saw each of the planets, from white-hot Mercury to distant Pluto, and all but one looked barren and lifeless. The one sometimes called the third rock from the sun, looked like a jewel floating in space, blue with swirling bands of white cloud. I asked my Guide why it was different from the others.

 “If you would really like to understand, let’s sit here, and I will tell you the story of planet earth,” he said.

Suddenly it seemed as if we were looking through a zoom lens, and the outlines of the continents became clear. The ice-caps shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and it looked even more beautiful than it did from afar.

 “What a magnificent creation,” I sighed.

 “Yes,” said my Guide, “but wait, and I’ll show you some more.”

We zoomed in further, and I saw snow-capped mountain tops, dense green rain forests, deserts and farmlands.

 “How wonderful to look at,” I enthused, “what variety and perfection.”

 “Indeed,” said my Guide, “but wait and I’ll show you some more.”

Next I saw a close-up of a tropical jungle. There were baboons, chimps, snakes, brightly coloured birds, and a magnificent leopard.

“There seems to be such harmony in nature,” I remarked.

“Oh, there is,” said my Guide, “but wait, and I’ll show you something a little different.”

This time the zoom lens focused on some city skyscrapers with busy traffic lanes below. The vehicles all looked like miniature  toys which I could easily have picked up with two fingers.

 “Man has certainly made a difference to this planet,” I remarked. “He has invented some incredible things, and look at how those vehicles all run according to the rules of the road. I notice the occasional bad driver, but by and large, it’s all functioning smoothly,”

 “Oh yes, man is pretty smart,” said my Guide. “But wait, and I’ll show you another side to the picture.”

In an instant we were transported to a slum on the outskirts of a large city. I had seen this kind of thing before, but only from a distance. The piles of filthy rubbish, the stench, and worst of all, children playing in that environment, was almost too much to bear.

“What a terrible way to live,” I almost sobbed.

 “Yes, this is man’s way of doing things,” said my Guide. “I instructed him never to join house to house until there was no space in between, but as usual, he didn’t listen.”

“How will those children grow up?” I asked.

 “A few will break free from those conditions, but sadly most will remain where they are, and many will turn to crime,” was the answer.

Suddenly, we were inside a beautiful house – two unseen observers of elegance and luxury. A family of five sat at a table laden with the finest food. But something was wrong.

“It looks good,” I said uncertainly, “but it’s so quiet. There’s a problem, isn’t there?”

“A big problem, to be sure,” said my Guide. “There is no dinner-time conversation, because each member of this family is going his or her own separate way. The mother is anxious to get out to her political party meeting. The two teenage girls are meeting friends, who will introduce them to some narcotic means of escaping boredom. The young boy feels lonely and neglected, not at all consoled by having to spend the evening alone in front of the television. He will be watching a great deal of sex and violence tonight. The father has a date with his secretary, but the rest of the family thinks he is going back to the office to work late.”

 “They have such a beautiful home, all that abundance, and they choose to live like that? They should be happy and grateful, and love each other!” I shouted indignantly. “Have they any idea how some people live, like those we just saw?”

 “Oh yes, they know about them, and sometimes they give money to charities that try to help those people,” was the reply.

“Then why…?” my voice trailed off and I lapsed into silence.

My Guide looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments. Then He spoke quietly but intensely.

 “When I created man, I gave him laws to live by. But man knew better. Then I chose a special group of people, and gave them detailed instructions on how to live, but they also knew better. Finally, I offered them peace and deliverance from evil by sending my own precious Son, who lived among them, and preached righteousness and love. But, believe it or not, my own chosen people killed him in the most shameful way.” They thought they knew better.

“Unbelievable!” I said, but what a wonderful act of love, to give up all that power and glory and suffer like a condemned criminal.”

“Yes, but the good news is that though mankind still thinks he knows better, my Son lives in some faithful followers on earth who will be with Him in the Kingdom which is to come.” “And,” said my Guide, “there is more good news. I’m going to allow man to follow his own foolish ways until he realises they just cannot work. Then I will intervene in the affairs of men. My Son will return to the earth, and powerfully restore this planet to the magnificent harmony I first intended it to have. Then it will look beautiful from both near and far.”

I brightened up. “That certainly is good news,” I said. Then I had another thought. “What happens after that?” 

My Guide smiled at me and I felt like a five-year-old who keeps asking questions. I think I sensed a twinkle in His eye as he replied, “After that, the sky’s the limit!”

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