On the same journey that inspired my views of God as the Great Artist, I was going over a verse from a very old hymn. I recall finding myself musing about the fact that there is a message to be found in all Christian music no matter the genre! I quite often speak of more contemporary pieces because that is what always plays in our van.
However, the last verse of this hymn really spoke to me. And, I remember thinking something like, "A song so old can still speak volumes to us today!" So often, we find ourselves drawn to one (or a few) particular styles of Christian music. But, they were all inspired by the Holy Spirit and offer us valuable and meaningful messages.
The hymn is "I Want a Principle Within" by Charles Wesley.
1. I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear,
A sensibility of sin, a pain to feel it near.
I want the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire,
To catch the wandering of my will, and quench the kindling fire.
2. From Thee that I no more may stray, no more Thy goodness grieve,
Grant me the filial awe, I pray, the tender conscience give.
Quick as the apple of an eye, O God, my conscience make;
Awake my soul when sin is nigh, and keep it still awake.
3. Almighty God of truth and love, to me, Thy power impart;
The mountain from my soul remove, the hardness from my heart.
O may the least omission pain my reawakened soul
And drive one to that blood again, which makes the wounded whole.
Something about that third verse really spoke to me. I am very aware of the many hurts that I still hold in my heart. The image of a mountain in my soul is very powerful. I envision this mountain to be all of those hurts and resentful feelings. This mountain, much as a real mountain, is huge, an obstruction. And this obstruction bring hardness to my heart.
I need to remove the obstruction from my heart in order to be more aware of myself and how I treat others. To be able to be aware of my own flaws (conceit, envy, not forgiving someone), I first have to remove the mountain to be able to see into my soul.
I also envision that mountain as a protective barrier, a wall. I quite often find myself putting up that wall for fear of being hurt. But by keeping a part of myself walled off, blocked by that mountain, I can cause a permanent hardness in my soul.
I cannot fully love someone with an obstruction in my heart. In turn, I cannot fully receive love, without first removing that mountain. And to be truly able to love and receive love, I must remove all of the obstruction. I must be painfully aware of any of that mountain left behind.
And if I should end up hurt, or if I am hurt now, as I take down that wall, I need to run to Jesus. For by His blood, I am healed. My wounded soul can be made whole. But to know that there is a wound, I must first remove that mountain.
This process brings to mind an analogy of a dentist visit. You know, one of those ones that's not so pleasant, where you have to get a filling. To repair the defect (the wound) the tooth (soul) must be prepared and drilled out (mountain removed). Once the tooth is ready, the filling can take place.
Like the material that is used to fill the void in the tooth, so the blood of Jesus is to our soul after we take down the walls and expose our wounds. As the filling material corrects the defect, the tooth becomes whole again. As the blood of Jesus fills our wounded souls, we can become whole again. "...And drive me to that blood again, which makes the wounded whole."
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Great Artist
Yet another series of thoughts in my little book came during a long drive while my children were sleeping. Since they were resting, the radio was off, and I worried about staying awake myself. However, the only challenge I had was trying to jot down a fraction of my thoughts during that journey!
The drive that day was a very familiar route, one traveled often to go to my mom's house. However, that day I found the surroundings to be very different. With the beautiful fall colors came an awesome experience.
The pain was not as drab as usual. It was very refreshing to view the canvas of God's beautiful art. He as the Great Artist, can create colors in nature that no man can replicate.
And as I marveled at the beauty of it all, I began to see a parallel with our lives. God can take the drab in our lives and liven it up with the colors of His love. He can take the broken/worn-out and turn it into a beautiful piece of art. He can take that "same old so-and-so" type of a life and totally rework it so that it is almost unrecognizable.
His love will shine through us, and His light will dance in our lives much like that of a Thomas Kinkade painting. People will enjoy God's "art" in us. They will want to know more about our God. We are all a part of His living art gallery. We can be the piece that brings His message of love and grace to others.
There are many passages in the Bible that speak of God working on us/perfecting us. We have the illustration of God being the potter and we the clay. there is the image of the silversmith purifying the silver by putting it to the hot flames. But when was the last time you considered yourself an art piece of the Great Artist?
I am not very artistic, nor do I claim to be. But I do take great delight in admiring the beautiful art in God's creation. I love to stare at the innumerable shades of colors in each "canvas" that I view. And, I have found that I was very much like the image of God as the Great Artist.
His creation is His masterpiece but it is an ever-changing portrait. And much like in a gallery He has a piece on display. Like a piece of art has a message or meaning behind it, we too can have a message...God, like an artist will continue to make adjustments in our "colors" or "hues". He will continue to work on how the light will reflect off us or make our canvas come to life.
His work on us will not be complete until we take our last breath here on earth. But we can join all of creation and be a part of God's living art gallery. We can be on display for all the world to see the beauty of the Great Artist's work.
So, the next time you are stuck travelling or find yourself with some down time, take a moment and admire a bit of God's work. Look at those magnificent colors. Take in the beauty of it. But, most of all remember that you are a part of His canvas, as well. Let His colors be shown through you. And may all the world see how the Great Artist's love dances within you.
The drive that day was a very familiar route, one traveled often to go to my mom's house. However, that day I found the surroundings to be very different. With the beautiful fall colors came an awesome experience.
The pain was not as drab as usual. It was very refreshing to view the canvas of God's beautiful art. He as the Great Artist, can create colors in nature that no man can replicate.
And as I marveled at the beauty of it all, I began to see a parallel with our lives. God can take the drab in our lives and liven it up with the colors of His love. He can take the broken/worn-out and turn it into a beautiful piece of art. He can take that "same old so-and-so" type of a life and totally rework it so that it is almost unrecognizable.
His love will shine through us, and His light will dance in our lives much like that of a Thomas Kinkade painting. People will enjoy God's "art" in us. They will want to know more about our God. We are all a part of His living art gallery. We can be the piece that brings His message of love and grace to others.
There are many passages in the Bible that speak of God working on us/perfecting us. We have the illustration of God being the potter and we the clay. there is the image of the silversmith purifying the silver by putting it to the hot flames. But when was the last time you considered yourself an art piece of the Great Artist?
I am not very artistic, nor do I claim to be. But I do take great delight in admiring the beautiful art in God's creation. I love to stare at the innumerable shades of colors in each "canvas" that I view. And, I have found that I was very much like the image of God as the Great Artist.
His creation is His masterpiece but it is an ever-changing portrait. And much like in a gallery He has a piece on display. Like a piece of art has a message or meaning behind it, we too can have a message...God, like an artist will continue to make adjustments in our "colors" or "hues". He will continue to work on how the light will reflect off us or make our canvas come to life.
His work on us will not be complete until we take our last breath here on earth. But we can join all of creation and be a part of God's living art gallery. We can be on display for all the world to see the beauty of the Great Artist's work.
So, the next time you are stuck travelling or find yourself with some down time, take a moment and admire a bit of God's work. Look at those magnificent colors. Take in the beauty of it. But, most of all remember that you are a part of His canvas, as well. Let His colors be shown through you. And may all the world see how the Great Artist's love dances within you.
From Ashes to New Beginnings
So, this was yet another series of jotted ideas in my mini-composition book from way back in the fall. But as I was putting these thoughts into blog entries, I realized how awesome our service at church today tied into this message of renewal.
Today at church we celebrated a service very unique to any worship experience I have ever had. It was a Wesleyan Covenant Service. During the service, there is a litany that addresses all the areas and parts of us and our lives we must relinquish and prepare in order to covenant with our Lord.
The man leading the service prefaced this litany by saying that a covenant is different than a goal. He shared how his family set goals each new year for individuals in the family and for the family as a whole. They come together mid-year for a "status report" (my words). At the end of one year and the beginning of the next, they see what goals were met. Not all goals are met. He said that we all sometimes fall short of our goals. In fact, we could look back on the year and count it a total flop, a total failure. But a covenant with God...it will still be there.
My original thoughts were scribbled notes about second chances and new beginnings and growth through pain, tragedies, and mistakes. By making my own covenant with God, He offers me growth, a new beginning, and a second chance. He will not break the covenant. If I were to have formed the covenant, it would be me to break it.
The song that came to mind during my brainstorming was "Ashes" by Shawn McDonald. But as I write in my journal, I find interest in the verses of Scripture found on the first two pages of this entry.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, and in accordance with the riches of God's grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He has been so good to me. (Psalm 13:5-6)
Both passages have portions that flow with the theme of the song and with my thoughts for this entry.
"Ashes"--Shawn McDonald
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
'Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise
Sometimes my heart is on the ground
And hope is nowhere to be found
Love is a figment I once knew
And yet I hold on to what I know is true
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
'Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise
Well I keep on coming to this place
That I don't know quite how to face
So I lay down my life in hopes to die
That somehow I might rise
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
'Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise
Some of the litany today spoke of (very roughly paraphrased) the Lord giving us everything and giving us nothing and that in spite of the bad and all through the good, I will keep my covenant with Him. It should not matter what the circumstance, I should always praise my Lord.
Shawn McDonald speaks of the new beginning we can find in Christ. It does not matter what we have done or the broken pieces we have become, when we form a covenant with our Lord, He can make us new. But in order to become new, we must first die to the old...the old habits, the old ways of placing idols (money, material things, etc.) in front of the Lord. As he states in the song,"So I lay down my life in hopes to die that somehow I might rise."
In dying to my old way of living, in recognizing the "rubble on the ground" (misplaced priorities), in bringing all of myself to the Lord, I can rise out of the ashes of my old self and into the light of my Lord. There, I can show all of myself, blemishes and all. I can fall at His feet with a truly open heart ready to commit all of me to my God. What an awesome way to start my new year...a new beginning with a new me born out of the ashes and risen to stand in covenant with my Lord!
Today at church we celebrated a service very unique to any worship experience I have ever had. It was a Wesleyan Covenant Service. During the service, there is a litany that addresses all the areas and parts of us and our lives we must relinquish and prepare in order to covenant with our Lord.
The man leading the service prefaced this litany by saying that a covenant is different than a goal. He shared how his family set goals each new year for individuals in the family and for the family as a whole. They come together mid-year for a "status report" (my words). At the end of one year and the beginning of the next, they see what goals were met. Not all goals are met. He said that we all sometimes fall short of our goals. In fact, we could look back on the year and count it a total flop, a total failure. But a covenant with God...it will still be there.
My original thoughts were scribbled notes about second chances and new beginnings and growth through pain, tragedies, and mistakes. By making my own covenant with God, He offers me growth, a new beginning, and a second chance. He will not break the covenant. If I were to have formed the covenant, it would be me to break it.
The song that came to mind during my brainstorming was "Ashes" by Shawn McDonald. But as I write in my journal, I find interest in the verses of Scripture found on the first two pages of this entry.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, and in accordance with the riches of God's grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He has been so good to me. (Psalm 13:5-6)
Both passages have portions that flow with the theme of the song and with my thoughts for this entry.
"Ashes"--Shawn McDonald
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
'Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise
Sometimes my heart is on the ground
And hope is nowhere to be found
Love is a figment I once knew
And yet I hold on to what I know is true
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
'Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise
Well I keep on coming to this place
That I don't know quite how to face
So I lay down my life in hopes to die
That somehow I might rise
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
'Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise
Some of the litany today spoke of (very roughly paraphrased) the Lord giving us everything and giving us nothing and that in spite of the bad and all through the good, I will keep my covenant with Him. It should not matter what the circumstance, I should always praise my Lord.
Shawn McDonald speaks of the new beginning we can find in Christ. It does not matter what we have done or the broken pieces we have become, when we form a covenant with our Lord, He can make us new. But in order to become new, we must first die to the old...the old habits, the old ways of placing idols (money, material things, etc.) in front of the Lord. As he states in the song,"So I lay down my life in hopes to die that somehow I might rise."
In dying to my old way of living, in recognizing the "rubble on the ground" (misplaced priorities), in bringing all of myself to the Lord, I can rise out of the ashes of my old self and into the light of my Lord. There, I can show all of myself, blemishes and all. I can fall at His feet with a truly open heart ready to commit all of me to my God. What an awesome way to start my new year...a new beginning with a new me born out of the ashes and risen to stand in covenant with my Lord!
I CAN'T Do It, But YOU CAN!
I have had so many thoughts and emotions to work through the past couple of months that writing material has not been an issue. Rather, it was actually an issue as to what to pick from to use as material. I have a mini-composition book that is quickly filling with jotted down thoughts before they get jumbled with everything else.
The most recent huge event in our life has been my husband's career change. This change has brought us periods of his absence. Right now, they come seven days at a time. We have all had to make quite a few emotional adjustments.
During the first rotation Joshua was gone, we both had a total meltdown of sorts. I found myself in the shower crying when Matthew West's new song "Strong Enough" came to my mind.
You must, You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through
Well forgive me, forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up, I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't You cover me?
Lord, right now I'm asking You to be
Strong enough, strong enough
For the both of us
Well maybe, maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
'Cause when I'm finally, finally at rock bottom
That's when I start looking up
And reaching out
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up, I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't You cover me?
Lord, right now I'm asking You to be
Strong enough, strong enough
'Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
And You are strong when I am weak
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be strong enough
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough, strong enough
Oh yeah
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up, I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't You cover me?
Lord, right now I'm asking You to be
Strong enough, strong enough, strong enough
At my breaking point, I realized I had been trying to do things on my own, everything. As I stood there I realized that I had been banging my head on the wall through this whole adjustment process by insisting I could do it on my own. And like the lyrics, I reached point of giving up, and finally reached out and looked up. I looked up with tears streaming down my face and cried, "Oh God, I can't do this alone. But, Lord with You, I know I can get through this."
Words cannot describe the immediate sense of peace that washed over me. You want to know the cool part of all of this, the God part? It is even bigger than my immediate peace. At about the same time as I hit rock bottom, Josh hit his rock bottom in a stairwell at work. He sank inside and cried out to God. His words were not exactly like mine, but similar. He too felt a burden lifted and a peace fill his heart.
Through this experience, we both realized we were fighting to do things on our own...To cope with the emotional adjustments alone...To deal with the stress alone...To deal with the stress alone. But, when we finally reached out to our Lord, we were able to handle all of this much more easily.
Then I began to think further...How many of us struggle through life alone? How many of us are banging our heads against the wall? How many of us are asking "Why?" and "How am I supposed to do this?" How many of us are screaming, "I can't do this!" but are not looking up and reaching out?
Oh, how much easier our lives could be! Oh, how much lighter the loads could be! Oh, the peace that we could know...if only we would seek our Lord. If we would keep Him at the center of all that is good, of all that is tough, of all parts of our lives, we would have more peace, lighter burdens, shared sorrows and disappointments, and double (or infinitely more) the joys and blessings.
I still have to remind myself that I need to refocus. I still have to daily admit that I CANNOT do it on my own. I sometimes catch myself being fiercely independent (or attempting to be so) when I have to remember, "I can't do it, but You, Lord, can!)
The most recent huge event in our life has been my husband's career change. This change has brought us periods of his absence. Right now, they come seven days at a time. We have all had to make quite a few emotional adjustments.
During the first rotation Joshua was gone, we both had a total meltdown of sorts. I found myself in the shower crying when Matthew West's new song "Strong Enough" came to my mind.
You must, You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through
Well forgive me, forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up, I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't You cover me?
Lord, right now I'm asking You to be
Strong enough, strong enough
For the both of us
Well maybe, maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
'Cause when I'm finally, finally at rock bottom
That's when I start looking up
And reaching out
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up, I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't You cover me?
Lord, right now I'm asking You to be
Strong enough, strong enough
'Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
And You are strong when I am weak
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be strong enough
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough, strong enough
Oh yeah
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up, I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't You cover me?
Lord, right now I'm asking You to be
Strong enough, strong enough, strong enough
At my breaking point, I realized I had been trying to do things on my own, everything. As I stood there I realized that I had been banging my head on the wall through this whole adjustment process by insisting I could do it on my own. And like the lyrics, I reached point of giving up, and finally reached out and looked up. I looked up with tears streaming down my face and cried, "Oh God, I can't do this alone. But, Lord with You, I know I can get through this."
Words cannot describe the immediate sense of peace that washed over me. You want to know the cool part of all of this, the God part? It is even bigger than my immediate peace. At about the same time as I hit rock bottom, Josh hit his rock bottom in a stairwell at work. He sank inside and cried out to God. His words were not exactly like mine, but similar. He too felt a burden lifted and a peace fill his heart.
Through this experience, we both realized we were fighting to do things on our own...To cope with the emotional adjustments alone...To deal with the stress alone...To deal with the stress alone. But, when we finally reached out to our Lord, we were able to handle all of this much more easily.
Then I began to think further...How many of us struggle through life alone? How many of us are banging our heads against the wall? How many of us are asking "Why?" and "How am I supposed to do this?" How many of us are screaming, "I can't do this!" but are not looking up and reaching out?
Oh, how much easier our lives could be! Oh, how much lighter the loads could be! Oh, the peace that we could know...if only we would seek our Lord. If we would keep Him at the center of all that is good, of all that is tough, of all parts of our lives, we would have more peace, lighter burdens, shared sorrows and disappointments, and double (or infinitely more) the joys and blessings.
I still have to remind myself that I need to refocus. I still have to daily admit that I CANNOT do it on my own. I sometimes catch myself being fiercely independent (or attempting to be so) when I have to remember, "I can't do it, but You, Lord, can!)
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