A couple odds and ends, which actually may come together
... by the end of the post. (Whenever that will be).
In my cyber-wanderings I came across a blessing prayed over Henri Nouwen:
At the time, I simply tagged the post and moved on. I must have figured there was some relavence somewhere in there. I am not kidding myself that I have adversity, trust me. When I am rational, I know that my life, while it may feel uphill sometimes, is a breeze. I have a husband and family who love me, a cat who (when she forgets that she is lofty and above us all) is pretty hopelessly attached to me, and I know when my next meal will be. (Bonus: it will be cooked by aforementioned husband-- eat your hearts out, ladies)
But something sort of clicked in to place at our small group last week. (We are very blessed to be doing life with some amazing people from GracePoint.) Chaz mentioned swiping a phrase from a friend of his who refers to himself as "ruined for the ordinary." He explained that this phrase sums up the transforming love of Christ.
When I consider my plans, my expectations, my desires in light of what He has in store for me, it all looks so ordinary. So why would I ever settle for ordinary?
Mom and I were talking about the limits we put on God, and I think that it comes down to this: we none of us know what happens between God and any of His creation. Salvation may, for some, come at that very last minute. There is nothing in Scripture which details what happens in the last moments. It is possible that He is there, asking, giving us one more chance to break His heart, "Are you ready now?"
The difference is this: those who receive now will experience a tiny sliver of that now. We don't have to wait. We can get just the smallest taste of His Glory right here.
That is what ruins us. When we finally put aside our wants, our expectations, our plans, and let Him move, ordinary is no longer good enough.
In my cyber-wanderings I came across a blessing prayed over Henri Nouwen:
May all your expectations be frustrated.
May all your plans be thwarted.
May all your desires be withered into nothingness.
That you may experience the powerlessness and the poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
At the time, I simply tagged the post and moved on. I must have figured there was some relavence somewhere in there. I am not kidding myself that I have adversity, trust me. When I am rational, I know that my life, while it may feel uphill sometimes, is a breeze. I have a husband and family who love me, a cat who (when she forgets that she is lofty and above us all) is pretty hopelessly attached to me, and I know when my next meal will be. (Bonus: it will be cooked by aforementioned husband-- eat your hearts out, ladies)
But something sort of clicked in to place at our small group last week. (We are very blessed to be doing life with some amazing people from GracePoint.) Chaz mentioned swiping a phrase from a friend of his who refers to himself as "ruined for the ordinary." He explained that this phrase sums up the transforming love of Christ.
When I consider my plans, my expectations, my desires in light of what He has in store for me, it all looks so ordinary. So why would I ever settle for ordinary?
Mom and I were talking about the limits we put on God, and I think that it comes down to this: we none of us know what happens between God and any of His creation. Salvation may, for some, come at that very last minute. There is nothing in Scripture which details what happens in the last moments. It is possible that He is there, asking, giving us one more chance to break His heart, "Are you ready now?"
The difference is this: those who receive now will experience a tiny sliver of that now. We don't have to wait. We can get just the smallest taste of His Glory right here.
That is what ruins us. When we finally put aside our wants, our expectations, our plans, and let Him move, ordinary is no longer good enough.
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