Thin Places

Thinness seems to be an obsession in our culture.

There are special diets to get thin. Or weight-reducing meal plans available for delivery to your door. Not to mention exercise workouts and weight loss coaches.

But until recently, I never had any help understanding thin places.

“Now hold on for just a minute! What in the world is a ‘thin place’”?

Interesting question! To find the answer, consider the Celts. Who are the Celts?

According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, the Celts were a people who dominated much of western and central Europe during the first millennium before Christ.

Recently I stumbled across an article that explained an interesting Celtic spiritual idea. The author was anonymous, but let me share the main ideas with you.

When we use the word ‘thin’ it is often to suggest the idea of weakness. Expressions such as ‘patience wearing thin,’ ‘thinned paint’ or that a novel’s plot was ‘thin’ are good examples.

“Celtic spirituality, however, puts a completely different spin on thin,” said this author. The Celtics called something thin when the veil between our world and God's kingdom becomes transparent enough for us to glimpse God's presence near us.

Thin places, Celtics said, are those moments when one sees God's hand at work in our lives. Moments we stop and, however briefly, wonder if there is more to life than just this natural world. We wonder what lies beyond the grief, pain or boredom of our daily lives.

Places and moments can become thin when someone remembers your pain or offers a helping hand. Or when words of love arrive unexpectedly, a friend shares your tears or you enjoy belly-shaking laughter together.

Such times in our lives open a pathway to the core of our soul. They point the way to the satisfaction of a common yearning--the desire to be connected, to be a part of something greater, to be loved, and to find peace.

The message of the Bible points us to Jesus Christ as the only way to find the true answer to those yearnings. When we meet him through the pages of Scripture, we arrive at the ultimate ‘thin place.’

Our journey down that path begins when we come to God through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Speaking of God, Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the father.” In following Jesus, we are pursuing a relationship with our Creator God. That’s why Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is the eternal connection. He is the door to a personal relationship with God.

When we serve Christ we also join him in his mission “To seek and to save the lost.” Jesus adds that he “did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The amazing truth of the Bible is that through faith in Christ, we find the peace, purpose and meaning in life we have searched for our whole lives.

It’s not wrong to want to be thin. But in our pursuit of thinness, let’s be sure we don’t overlook the thin places that can bring us closer to God.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!