the veil

A few years ago my family had the privilege of visiting a “Tabernacle Experience“… It is a life-size replica of the Temple the Israelites built and traveled with.

Honestly – I always struggled through the Old Testament… But, I have to say – this Tabernacle Experience completely changed my view of the Old Testament and the story of Israel.

As you walk through the Tabernacle Experience, the speakers share the incredible foreshadowing and symbolism in every single part of the Temple. The shape, the way the entrances faced, the alter… and into the Temple with the bread and all the gold… and the HUGE curtain or veil that separated the Holy place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.

They shared the story in the Gospels… how when Jesus died, this veil or curtain in the temple was torn… a symbol of the chasm between man and God being bridged by the Messiah’s death.

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split..” Matthew 27:50-51

I am in a study at our church right now. We are going through Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts study… and in tonight’s video, Ann was talking about the “ugly-beautiful”… and I almost missed it – she mentioned another name for this ugly-beautiful…

“veiled grace”

These difficult times in our lives…
the battles…
the pain and struggle…
the ugly we don’t want to see.

Perhaps they aren’t what they seem – but instead are simply veiled graces that cannot be unveiled until we turn our eyes to Jesus.

Because it is only HIM who can tear that veil away and reveal the true beauty in the depths of darkness.

It is when we fix our eyes on Jesus that we don’t see the waves around… because they cannot touch us.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we begin to see through His lens… this abundant life that is full of His graces… even when it isn’t what we thought abundant life would look like.

It is when we fix our eyes on Jesus that we are able to long for Him in the middle of struggle... instead of simply longing for it to be done with and behind us.

And… when we fix our eyes on Jesus, our beautiful Savior, we can ask Him to call us to deeper waters so that we can experience Him deeper than we can even imagine.

The veil… the separation from God, our Creator. It is no longer… and gazing at the One who tears the veil away allows us to see these veiled graces – these ugly beautiful veiled gifts as what they truly are.

Unhidden, abundantly poured out on our heads… mercies.