Eager to wrap myself in layers before venturing out into the frosty morning, I grabbed the cashmere sweater and started to hoist it over my head. There it was; a large hole in the shoulder of the sweater that was not supposed to be there. This was not the first time such a discovery had been made. Just three days before I found holes in two other cashmere sweaters. I had never before seen the evidence of moths. I have never seen the bug and haven’t a clue what characteristics to look for in its identification. Yet, here was the evidence of its presence or the invasion of yet another unknown cashmere lover. No critter could be found, yet here was the evidence that the creature had paid a visit. Nine years ago I was confronted with the presence of annoying stiffness and lack of flexibility on my right side. The Neurologist said it was early onset Parkinson’s disease. Like the hole in my sweater, I had discovered the evidence of something that had destroyed cells in my brain that produce dopamine. I haven’t seen what did it, but the evidence of its work is with me every day. The cashmere sweater can be replaced, but the pyramidal cells in the substantia nigra that produce dopamine appear to be lost forever. I can’t see the lost cells, but I can see the evidence of their absence, just as I can see the evidence of the moth’s visit in the closet shelf. Also, I cannot see the God who provides a sustaining hope and inspires gratitude, but its presence is the evidence that He is here. Thankfulness in the presence of evidence creates a bond with the Giver.
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