In my studio I have odds and ends that are supposed to help me pause and think – sometimes the idea works, sometimes it doesn’t 😊.
The bow in the montage above reminds me that creative wrapping can elevate a simple, ordinary gift into something memorable. We are told an elephant never forgets – the older I get, the more I need this to be true, even if it requires setting reminders on my phone. When my heart is overwhelmed, my natural tendency is to mask the tumult in an effort to control it. This is not wise, yet somehow, I can’t get rid of that mask – maybe because I like the illusion of strength? And, finally, I admit that sometimes I pick up my green paper weight, look at that word long and hard, and remind my soul to relax into what the future holds because “my times are in His hands” ….
When I look back over the years, I am mortified at the many times I have had to be reminded of the simple but profound lessons the Holy Spirit has taught me with such infinite patience and gentleness – and there are many, as I’m sure you too have experienced. It’s not unlike how BestBeloved describes climbing a sand dune with his hang glider on his neck. For every three steps up, two are lost to the sand slipping away under his feet but he must keep going if he wants to head home again. In the words of another song from my youth, “That which I would not, that do I do; the Spirit wars within me but I’m already through!”
Today I celebrate the unfailing grace of God. I celebrate that bringing me to spiritual maturity is HIS job, one that I certainly am incapable of. I celebrate that He is more concerned with my character than my comfort. And I celebrate that his correction is proof that I am His, 100 percent a legitimate child, and that I can choose to embrace it with gladness!
I just love the way JB Phillips translates Hebrew 12:10-13: “For our fathers used to correct us according to their own ideas during the brief days of childhood. But God corrects us all our days for our own benefit, to teach us his holiness. Now obviously no “chastening” seems pleasant at the time: it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that it has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the characters of those who have accepted it in the right spirit. So, take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs. Don’t wander away from the path but forge steadily onward. On the right path the limping foot recovers strength and does not collapse! (exclamation mine 😊)
