Do you have favorite words; words that form unique sounds on the tongue and tickle your ear? Maybe words like cinnamon, flatulence, banjo, or conflagration. My wife, the scrabble queen likes Kankakee, bergamot, aioli, duo, oud, and elephant. I have been thinking about another favorite word a lot lately, and that is the word ubiquitous.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ubiquitous means, “seeming to be seen everywhere” as in ubiquitous celebrities, the company’s advertisements are ubiquitous, or Thrivent t-shirts are ubiquitous. Okay, I’ll come clean. I made up that last part about Thrivent t-shirts, but that is only because I thought of it before Merriam-Webster.
It is, however, true! I have seen them at social functions, retail stores, churches, on the internet, and even in foreign countries. I am wearing one as I type this blog post. Thrivent has been more than generous with these shirts, allowing up to 25 shirts every time someone holds a fundraiser or service event at church or in the community. Because of this, the church had accumulated quite the pile of shirts down in the youth room.
Knowing that we can only take so many on our mission trips to Haiti or give away at events like the 5K, I knew it was time to reduce the pile. Dave and Diana Mattlin sponsor Operation Christmas Child at our church so I asked them if they would like to put a Thrivent shirt in each of the boxes that they pack this year. They were happy to do this, and I was happy to give away several boxes of Thrivent shirts. It was a win-win.
Thankfully, there is something more ubiquitous than Thrivent shirts, and that is the presence of God. Genesis 28:15 promises that God will be with us through the pilgrimage of life, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (NIV) God’s presence affords rest according to Exodus 33:14, “The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” It gives us courage through life’s battles according to Deuteronomy 20:1, “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.” In the trials of life, God is always with us as evidenced in Isaiah’s words, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (43:2) We are also promised that He will be with us to the very end. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)
Psalm 139:7-12 is probably the clearest passage about God’s ubiquitous presence. It says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” It is very comforting to know that no matter where we go in life, it is never beyond God’s presence. No matter what happens to us or the circumstances of this life, it is not outside of God’s reach.
You know, Thrivent shirts are very soft and comfortable. Despite the blatant advertising that Thrivent is getting from the shirts, they are not a bad comparison and reminder of God’s love and kindness towards us. As the Mattlins help send these Christmas boxes around the world, we will also be making Thrivent shirts a little more ubiquitous. More importantly, however, is that God’s love will be shared with all corners of the globe. After all, you know that God’s love is ubiquitous.
gregarnett 