The apostle Paul stretched out,waterlogged,
on an unfamiliar beach blinking in the white sun surrounded by pieces of ship
and others not fortunate enough to open their eyes again on this shore.
Peter caught by Paul,
red-faced and ashamed,
facing correction for spurning the Gentile Christians around the Jewish Christians
who might judge him,
facing something worse now – the truth about his own ugly thoughts.
Elijah, bloated with self-pity, crying out for death beneath a broom tree.
Jonah spared a death at sea awakening to a gastric nightmare in the putrid belly of a great fish heading in the very direction he doesn’t want to go.
The mighty Samson chained between two pillars, sightless and fallen, the jeers of his victorious enemy humbling him to where he might be of use with one final (finally) selfless act.
Exposed.
Peeled back.
Weak.
Needy.
Dependent on a merciful God.
Like a newly sheared sheep, small and shivering, missing his woolly glory is dependent on the shepherd.
Like a once lush and lavish vine, cut back to an ugly, brown stubble it was sure it had left behind, must now wholly trust the vision of the vinedresser.
God just can’t leave well enough alone.
And when we are the ones, shipwrecked, rebuked, weary, shanghaied, fallen, groomed, and pruned, the humbling can taste like the bitterest brew
And we may remember our illness fondly having now tasted the cure.
But God is a Master craftsman and our lives are His art. Every hammer strike on the chisel, each whitewash of the canvas, every edit, each uprooting, every remix is for His glory
And for our beautification
our completion,
our perfection
the creation of ourselves into His vision for us.
And we will be beautiful in our time
And our fruit will multiply,
Our glorious wool grow full again,
Our strength return,
Our mission complete,
Our faith restore,
Our minds renewed
And we will at last awaken on a familiar shore that we will know is Home
because He will greet us with a fire
and fish on the beach
and the glory of His smile.
Yield to His work and flourish under His hand.
Never settle for the illness when you can have the cure.
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The Conversation
Timely blog. At our bible study, we were discussing what happens to gold that is put in the fire–it comes out pure and ready to be used for something glorious. That’s us. He strips away the junk, the dross, the sin and makes us ready for something glorious. Going through the fire is not fun. But the reward is unimaginably wonderful. Another thing, sometimes I feel like that sheep that hid away until he grew unable to see or function. With a shepherd willing to strip him down, he becomes an asset to the shepherd again. Momma
good thoughts mmomma
Rejoicing to contemplate the breakfast on the beach awaiting me on Graduation Day. Thank you for reminding me/us.