I recently visited Ellis Island. Most of the people who came through Ellis Island bought a one way ticket to a place they had never been before. They endured an ocean crossing packed in like sardines in the belly of a ship to a place they’d never even seen, because they believed the promise of the new place outweighed the familiarity of the old one.
On my way to Ellis Island, I felt an echo of their joy and excitement when Lady Liberty first came into view. She was the symbol for so many of the hopes they had for a better life. She was still a good ways off, so she appeared to be no bigger than a statuette. My husband held out his hand, and we snapped a silly picture in which it looked like she was resting on his palm.
The boat continued on its course, bringing us closer and closer to our destination. And the closer we got, the larger Lady Liberty grew, until she was massive, towering more than 300 feet above us. Now we were the dwarves who could fit in her hand.
That’s the thing – when something is far off, it appears tiny, small, even insignificant. But the closer we come, the bigger it gets. Lady Liberty was never small enough to fit in my hand, but I was so far from her, my limited perspective convinced me it was true.
I think the same thing happens with us and God. When we are far from Him, He appears small, insignificant, like an inspirational thought, but we don’t recognize that He can have any real impact, any real power, in our lives.
But the closer we come to Him, the more we begin to realize His true proportions. He is mighty, majestic, larger than life. The heavens are His throne and the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). He holds us in the palm of His hand.
Our journey to a new life with God can be compared to the immigrants’ journey to America. First we hear stories of Him and a far-off land, a place that promises hope and something different than what we can imagine if we stay where we are. We build a picture of Him in our minds based on what we’ve heard. The new land sparkles with promise. Something stirs inside of us, and we decide to jump ship. We leave behind our old ways, our old life, and we buy a one way, non-refundable ticket to a new adventure.
When we enter into a relationship with God, we are brought near by Christ. He gives us free passage. He is the vessel that carries us closer and closer into God’s presence so we can begin to see Him as He really is. Through Christ, we get face-to-face with God, and our preconceived notions are overwritten with the magnitude of who He really is and how much He really loves us.
Our God isn’t a man-made, immobile metal statue on a pedestal. He is no idol with feet of clay. He isn’t blind to our needs, he isn’t deaf to our cries. He sees, He hears, He speaks. He is the living, always working God, a sure foundation, and in His hand is the power to give us the new life we long for.