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As the dawn bursts with its myriad of glorious colors, liquid gold spreads like frosting over the earth. Beauty, which only moments before, had been obscured by the darkness, is now visible in the morning light. Dewdrops glisten on the primrose climbing along the rustic split-rail fence. A bluebird swoops to the resting place of a limb on the grand old oak. She ushers in the morning with a sweet song - perhaps a morning prayer of thanks to her Creator. Clouds on the horizon speak of coming rain, their precious cargo of raindrops rides along the heavens waiting for the warmth of day. Beneath a fallen log, a cricket peers out and greets the new dawn with a jazzy little tune of happiness.
This beauty was here all along.
But...the darkness of night obscured these objects of heaven's delight.
Thankfully, the brilliant light of dawn revealed the beauty. This hidden beauty declared the faithfulness of God.
And so it is with us.
The darkness - the struggles, despair, depression - can obscure the hidden treasures of Christ within us. The treasures are there, but we cannot see them because the shroud of darkness seeks to dim the Light - it seeks to stifle our declaration of God's faithfulness.
Have you ever thought that perhaps our darkest moments hide the secret places of God? It is easy to understand the truths revealed in the Light: "I believe in the One true God, Maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His Son, who died on the cruel cross for the Redemption of mankind - for the restoration of my broken soul." These we readily accept and understand.
But darkness holds truths as well.
Only those who experience the darkness face-to-face, anticipating the coming Dawn, gain the knowledge of the hidden treasures of our faith.
In the darkness, we experience the secrets of God.
In the darkness, we experience the loving comfort of our Lord.
In the darkness we reach for the hand of our Heavenly Father and can trace the imprint of our name He has engraved there. (Isaiah 49:16)
Exquisite beauty can be found in the darkness when we allow the Light of Christ to burst through with its myriad of glorious colors. It is then that we find the essence of Who God is. Without the darkness, we are tempted to accept God at face value - in the Light there is no need to reach for the comfort of His hand. "He who dwells in the Secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1) Could it be that the darkest moments in our life are but the shadow of the Almighty? Do we walk so close to our God that we dwell in the secret place, among the hidden treasures of His shadow? Rather than resenting the darkness, maybe we should embrace it, knowing that the dawn with its glorious Light will reveal exquisite beauty in our souls.
Father, let your Dawn burst forth with a myriad of glorious colors and reveal to me the hidden treasures of my darkest night. Help me reach up and take Your mighty hand. Thank you for letting me find my name engraved there. O, what a comforting thought!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
The Parable of the Squirrel
I grabbed a fresh cup of coffee, its hefty aroma calling to me from an ocean of deep thoughts. With cup in hand, I stepped into the warmth of our sun porch. Poppy red clusters of geraniums winked at me through the windowpanes. I settled into my favorite rocking chair and tried to relax in the presence of the tall, graceful stems of lavender swaying gently in the breeze. The rhythm of that familiar squeaking chair fought to settle my spirit.
But my spirit was exhausted from waging battle against life's hardships. My mind quarreled with the faithfulness of God. My spirit reminded me of my blessings. My Bible shouted out reminders of God's promises. But, my weary soul struggled desperately to walk in that reality.
"Lord, forgive me for being so frustrated. I feel angry that life has to be so hard!! Where is Your hand of provision? I miss the joy of my salvation!" I pouted as I slung accusation after accusation at my Heavenly Father. Then my tirade ended and I took another sip of coffee.
A flash of gray raced past the window and leaped onto the base of the wrought-iron pole standing in the midst of the lavender and geraniums. There, my bird feeder hung temptingly about four feet off the ground, secured by the hook shaped at the end of the pole. Catching his breath, a young squirrel glanced in my direction. Excitement was written all over his face.
Four tiny paws gripped the slender pole. His furry tail twitched uncontrollably with happiness. With sheer determination the squirrel inched his way upward towards his prize. When he got parallel to the feeder he S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D across to the perch so he could dig into the morsels of goodness. Watching his can-do attitude was funny enough, but then the wind began to blow.
Blowing wind begets spinning bird feeders.
Spinning bird feeders beget spinning squirrels.
Sipping my coffee, I realized the squirrel had a choice to make: either let go of his prize, fall to the ground and start over OR grab hold with all fours and hang on with all his might until the wind passes by.
He chose the prize.
The squirrel's back paws swung over to the base of the bird feeder. Hanging upside down, he held on with all fours as though his life depended on it. His little body spun and twirled, eyes wild with excitement. A bushy, gray tail twitched in rhythm to the swinging feeder. There was no way this little guy was going to let go of his prize and no wind or difficulty was going to get in his way. He simply held on tight, kept his eyes on the prize and waited for things to calm down. Then, very matter-of-factly, he S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D his back paws across the great divide until he reached the pole again, gripped it tightly and resumed indulging himself with those delectable morsels of goodness.
I knew this was a God-moment.
Rocking back and forth, I pondered the lesson the Lord was showing me. I remembered the scriptures teaching that in a race only one person can win the prize. God wants us to run in such a way that we win. I SO want to win the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ. I want to REST in His presence, WALK in His provision and ENJOY the blessings of discipleship. Like the squirrel, I want every little morsel of goodness I can grab, no matter how difficult.
Even though for a season, I feel like I'm spinning upside-down, holding onto God's promises with all fours, I KNOW that if I can just persevere and keep my eyes on the prize, the wind will calm down, the spinning cease and I can indulge myself once again with the goodness of God.
But my spirit was exhausted from waging battle against life's hardships. My mind quarreled with the faithfulness of God. My spirit reminded me of my blessings. My Bible shouted out reminders of God's promises. But, my weary soul struggled desperately to walk in that reality.
"Lord, forgive me for being so frustrated. I feel angry that life has to be so hard!! Where is Your hand of provision? I miss the joy of my salvation!" I pouted as I slung accusation after accusation at my Heavenly Father. Then my tirade ended and I took another sip of coffee.
A flash of gray raced past the window and leaped onto the base of the wrought-iron pole standing in the midst of the lavender and geraniums. There, my bird feeder hung temptingly about four feet off the ground, secured by the hook shaped at the end of the pole. Catching his breath, a young squirrel glanced in my direction. Excitement was written all over his face.
Four tiny paws gripped the slender pole. His furry tail twitched uncontrollably with happiness. With sheer determination the squirrel inched his way upward towards his prize. When he got parallel to the feeder he S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D across to the perch so he could dig into the morsels of goodness. Watching his can-do attitude was funny enough, but then the wind began to blow.
Blowing wind begets spinning bird feeders.
Spinning bird feeders beget spinning squirrels.
Sipping my coffee, I realized the squirrel had a choice to make: either let go of his prize, fall to the ground and start over OR grab hold with all fours and hang on with all his might until the wind passes by.
He chose the prize.
The squirrel's back paws swung over to the base of the bird feeder. Hanging upside down, he held on with all fours as though his life depended on it. His little body spun and twirled, eyes wild with excitement. A bushy, gray tail twitched in rhythm to the swinging feeder. There was no way this little guy was going to let go of his prize and no wind or difficulty was going to get in his way. He simply held on tight, kept his eyes on the prize and waited for things to calm down. Then, very matter-of-factly, he S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D his back paws across the great divide until he reached the pole again, gripped it tightly and resumed indulging himself with those delectable morsels of goodness.
I knew this was a God-moment.
Rocking back and forth, I pondered the lesson the Lord was showing me. I remembered the scriptures teaching that in a race only one person can win the prize. God wants us to run in such a way that we win. I SO want to win the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ. I want to REST in His presence, WALK in His provision and ENJOY the blessings of discipleship. Like the squirrel, I want every little morsel of goodness I can grab, no matter how difficult.
Even though for a season, I feel like I'm spinning upside-down, holding onto God's promises with all fours, I KNOW that if I can just persevere and keep my eyes on the prize, the wind will calm down, the spinning cease and I can indulge myself once again with the goodness of God.
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