At 4:37 p.m. Eastern time on June 8, 2021, the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada made official what many had believed for years. The approval of Remit ‘B’, with two parallel definitions of marriage, provided legitimacy for those who interpret and apply Scripture through human eyes rather than submitting to the unfathomable, often inconvenient, countercultural yet loving Spirit of God. Ninety minutes later, the Assembly approved the ordinations of those in same-sex marriages.

None of this was unexpected. It was not a dream.

But it felt surreal.

The next morning, I was on my backyard patio, reading Scripture, occasionally looking up at the trees, when I saw a tiny twig floating in midair. It wasn’t supernatural; it was suspended by an invisible thread, spun by a spider. The nearest branch was at least 30 feet above, which was amazing in itself. There was almost no wind, but the tiny twig, perhaps two-inches long, still moved back and forth. I watch for several minutes, then took my eyes off, distracted by movement elsewhere. When I returned my attention to the twig, it took a few seconds to find it again. It had moved a few metres to my right, continuing its sway. Inspired, I went inside to get my laptop and when I returned, it look that much longer to relocate it.

It was a perfect illustration of how the hands of God work.

The twig on a thread had no obvious purpose to me, but surely the spider does not spin in vain.

The spectacle appeared magical. To someone who does not have the capacity to understand the physics involved, you can suggest that the twig is floating on its own. This is childlike faith and wonder.

Turn our eyes from the phenomena and we can lose it. Lose sight of the wonder when we get caught up in the world and it takes time to recalibrate our spiritual vision.

Things may happen which make no sense, at least to us. They may feel surreal. But we need to trust that God’s invisible hands are in control, working with purpose, although it may not seem obvious. What’s dismissed as random might be embraced as the possibility that God may be up to something.

We are invited to search for the wonder. Keep our eyes focused on Christ, remembering His promise that He will be with us always, to the end of the age. The end has not yet arrived, so let us continually recalibrate our spiritual bearings and refuse the temptation to be discouraged.