Day 23 - Dubai
Today was a relatively quiet day. My brother had some work to catch up on, so I took the time to catch up on reading. We met up for lunch, caught a movie, watched the Olympics, went out for sushi dinner before calling it a night.
Driving around Dubai gave me time to think about some things. When you look around and see all the construction, it boggles the mind. The extent to which they can build out here is simply amazing. The Dubai Creek is being extended, a canal system is being built between the high-rise towers, indoor snow skiing in the middle of the desert and the world's tallest building brings one word to mind:
Unbelievable.
Now of course, I have to believe what I am seeing. Its mere presence in front of me identifies its reality. I cannot close my eyes and wish a shopping mall to not be there. The Palm Islands are here because I can stand on them.
But is sight the only way to perceive reality? And what is reality? I remember years ago seeing written on the back of a car in California - "Reality: It's all done with mirrors." Certainly one could get a good laugh out of that one. Or maybe not, especially if you have spent time in the Silicone Valley (not to be confused with the more familiar Silicon Valley further north between San Jose and San Francisco.)
We often talk about what's real. And the stunning conclusion often comes down to this: God is the ultimate reality. There is nothing more real than God. If that is the case, then how can I perceive him? How can I verify his reality? How am I even aware of his existence? If we attribute transcendence to God (and we do), then there is no possible way for us to perceive him. He is above all.
But God is also immanent, meaning he has chosen to make his presence known and felt among us. The natural world full of wonders that science can't fully explain are a record of God's creative genius, aesthetic, power and sense of humor. I think science is a great tool to discover God and his creation, but even it can't give us a complete picture of who he is.
God knew that, so he sent spokespeople to tell others about himself. We call these people the prophets of the Old Testament. And after all these people were heard from and dismissed in one way or another, he came himself in the form of a man - Jesus Christ - so that we could personally know and see the Ultimate Reality.
I wonder, did this God of Reality go to all these great lengths because he wants to remain a mystery? Or did he choose to transcend his transcendence in order to more directly relate with us? And if he is interested in relationship, then what is the nature of that relationship?
My brother has been treating me like a king these last four days. He has honored every request I have made of him no matter how small. He has even been upset with me when I would not issue a "royal decree" as to what we should eat for dinner. He has watched over me, catered to me, protected me.
Because he loves me.
I am compelled to think that if my brother did all these things because he loves me, then God, who has done all these and more and far greater than my brother, must love me more. Love is the unquestionable characteristic of God's relationship towards all of us. And I can think of no better way to live my life than in a way that reflects a passion for embracing the Ultimate Reality, the Ultimate Lover and Giver of Life who has reached out to me and restored the relationship.
Who knows what Dubai will look like in ten years? More skyscrapers, water taxis, two major airports and a light rail system to connect them all with the neighborhoods and shopping centres. No matter what, God is who he is, and he will always be just as he always has been - transcendent yet immanent, and looking for us to accept his invitation into a personal, perfectly loving relationship.
Driving around Dubai gave me time to think about some things. When you look around and see all the construction, it boggles the mind. The extent to which they can build out here is simply amazing. The Dubai Creek is being extended, a canal system is being built between the high-rise towers, indoor snow skiing in the middle of the desert and the world's tallest building brings one word to mind:
Unbelievable.
Now of course, I have to believe what I am seeing. Its mere presence in front of me identifies its reality. I cannot close my eyes and wish a shopping mall to not be there. The Palm Islands are here because I can stand on them.
But is sight the only way to perceive reality? And what is reality? I remember years ago seeing written on the back of a car in California - "Reality: It's all done with mirrors." Certainly one could get a good laugh out of that one. Or maybe not, especially if you have spent time in the Silicone Valley (not to be confused with the more familiar Silicon Valley further north between San Jose and San Francisco.)
We often talk about what's real. And the stunning conclusion often comes down to this: God is the ultimate reality. There is nothing more real than God. If that is the case, then how can I perceive him? How can I verify his reality? How am I even aware of his existence? If we attribute transcendence to God (and we do), then there is no possible way for us to perceive him. He is above all.
But God is also immanent, meaning he has chosen to make his presence known and felt among us. The natural world full of wonders that science can't fully explain are a record of God's creative genius, aesthetic, power and sense of humor. I think science is a great tool to discover God and his creation, but even it can't give us a complete picture of who he is.
God knew that, so he sent spokespeople to tell others about himself. We call these people the prophets of the Old Testament. And after all these people were heard from and dismissed in one way or another, he came himself in the form of a man - Jesus Christ - so that we could personally know and see the Ultimate Reality.
I wonder, did this God of Reality go to all these great lengths because he wants to remain a mystery? Or did he choose to transcend his transcendence in order to more directly relate with us? And if he is interested in relationship, then what is the nature of that relationship?
My brother has been treating me like a king these last four days. He has honored every request I have made of him no matter how small. He has even been upset with me when I would not issue a "royal decree" as to what we should eat for dinner. He has watched over me, catered to me, protected me.
Because he loves me.
I am compelled to think that if my brother did all these things because he loves me, then God, who has done all these and more and far greater than my brother, must love me more. Love is the unquestionable characteristic of God's relationship towards all of us. And I can think of no better way to live my life than in a way that reflects a passion for embracing the Ultimate Reality, the Ultimate Lover and Giver of Life who has reached out to me and restored the relationship.
Who knows what Dubai will look like in ten years? More skyscrapers, water taxis, two major airports and a light rail system to connect them all with the neighborhoods and shopping centres. No matter what, God is who he is, and he will always be just as he always has been - transcendent yet immanent, and looking for us to accept his invitation into a personal, perfectly loving relationship.
