"I found the cabinet I've been looking for!" my friend Sheryl exclaimed to me a few days ago." And guess what? It even has a light in it!" Today I rode with her to a furniture store to pick up her new curio cabinet, a place to display her Precious Moments figurines and various items of beauty and value that she owns.
What does a person display? That which he is wants to hide? Commonplace items? No. He displays that which is precious to him: pictures, heirlooms, objects of meaning, items of value. Look in a person's curio cabinet, and you can find out more about what he values.
In a jewelry store beautiful gems and metals are displayed on blackdrops of black velvet with just the right light shining on them so beautifully that their splendor is brilliantly displayed.
I read in Isaiah that as we trade our ashes for beauty, our mourning for gladness, and our despair for praise, we then display the splendor of God.
Somehow -- and I do mean somehow because it remains a mystery to me -- as we trade the ickiness of our lives for all that God offers us, we become a display of how amazing He is. God puts me on display to show the world His goodness, power, beauty and love. Against the backdrop of the darker times in my life but sitting in the light of Who He is, His glory is revealed.
As He shows Himself to me, He then shows Himself through me. His glory is a revealing of Himself. To me. Through me.
To be cherished by God. Precious to Him. Reflective of Him. Even a way to point others to Him. It's all so curious to me.
Lord, Thank you for the beautiful exchange you offer! My ashes for a crown of beauty, my mourning for Your gladness, my utter despair for Your praise! And the result of it all, bringing You glory. That You would bless me and use me in such a way is so beyond me. Nowhere-near-ordinary You, God, can take what is common and make it into something splendid. Keep doing that in my life as I keep seeking You. I will keep looking to You so that any beauty I display is a reflection of Your magnificence and not something I try to create on my own.
"... and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." Isa 61:3(b), NIV
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
On Faith and Fresh Starts
I just began a new Bible study last night. The topic? Faith. After having flaked out on the last part of my study of Daniel, I felt hopeful and invigorated being able to start afresh with a new, simpler book. Simple but rich, potent and life-transforming, as is all of God's word -- and all of His words! With the words "Let there be," he created this stunning world that fills even the atheist with wonder of how it came to be. And with His words He is creating and recreating wonders in me and in the lives of those who receive His word as the truth that it is.
The woman who wrote the lessons in "Walking by Faith," Jennifer Rothschild, has been blind since she was 17 years of age. Never would she have learned to lean on a guide if she could see. Likewise as we encounter the dark, scary places in our lives, we find ourselves sitting in the classroom of faith! It is in that darkness we learn to lean, to trust in the One who can see all things.
It was good to be with my Bible again this morning. And with my ladies last night at Bible study. Thankfully God is merciful and gracious, so gracious, and keeps giving me fresh starts each day regarding my learning to lean on Him and trust in Him who I cannot see versus the circumstances I am in, which I can see.
Lord, God, who wants to be my guide, thank you, thank you for Your word that carved canyons, created sky and wind and flowers and life. May your word form me into all that you want to create in me so that I, like your creation around me, may be shown Who You are and display to others Who You are. I never thought I'd say this, but thank You for the lessons learned in the dark, for it was there I was taught to depend on You rather than on what I could or could not see. And for those mercies that are new each and every morning, I am so grateful to You. I can't wait to see what You have to teach me in this new study. Make me faithful to expose myself to the power and potency of Your Word that breathes life into me.
The woman who wrote the lessons in "Walking by Faith," Jennifer Rothschild, has been blind since she was 17 years of age. Never would she have learned to lean on a guide if she could see. Likewise as we encounter the dark, scary places in our lives, we find ourselves sitting in the classroom of faith! It is in that darkness we learn to lean, to trust in the One who can see all things.
It was good to be with my Bible again this morning. And with my ladies last night at Bible study. Thankfully God is merciful and gracious, so gracious, and keeps giving me fresh starts each day regarding my learning to lean on Him and trust in Him who I cannot see versus the circumstances I am in, which I can see.
Lord, God, who wants to be my guide, thank you, thank you for Your word that carved canyons, created sky and wind and flowers and life. May your word form me into all that you want to create in me so that I, like your creation around me, may be shown Who You are and display to others Who You are. I never thought I'd say this, but thank You for the lessons learned in the dark, for it was there I was taught to depend on You rather than on what I could or could not see. And for those mercies that are new each and every morning, I am so grateful to You. I can't wait to see what You have to teach me in this new study. Make me faithful to expose myself to the power and potency of Your Word that breathes life into me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)