Even broken pieces of glass can be melding into something new...
John 6:12
A couple a months ago, I ventured to Ann Arbor to go someplace where nobody knew my name. I planned to visit a few sites while I was there and one of them was Ann Arbor Art Center. I eat art [nerd]. While I was there, the center just happened to be holding a glass molding/blowing demonstration. Glass manipulation [we'll call it] is something I have seen on TV but never in person, so I was geeked! The glass blower was a professional, of course, and walked us through the intimate details of making glass jewelry etc. So she transformed sticks of glass into beautiful yet fragile pieces. To see how fire manipulates the elements of the glass was amazing! What was even more amazing was how the fire made it easy to shape and mold.
I happened to be reading John 6 for some reason which tells the story of the miracle through the fish and bread and came across verse 12 which reads: "When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, 'gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted'" This scripture hit me so hard and I immediately got the revelation that God does not like waste. Because God does not waste, he won't let even the broken pieces of our lives to be disposed of. When things work out and everything is copacetic, it's easy to live life. But it's when we experience change in our lives that cause brokenness, we have to really exercise trust with the left over or shattered pieces being restored to something even more beautiful. You often hear the adage about being tried by fire. Fire hurts but is transformative in nature. Often what accompanies change is a process that is painful. But the process is the fire that welds the broken pieces back together while God's hands shape and form the unrecognizable areas of our lives into something new. He is notorious for making something out of nothing. Trust that nothing in your life is in vain. Not even your pain. But that your process will bring someone else success.
2 Corinthians 1:4 (MSG) says "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us." We go through to make it through. So if you're lost in 'Woe is Me-ville', just remember there is always someone tied to the end of your road who is at the beginning of theirs.
Nothing. Is. In . Vain.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Compromiso
"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun..." Psalm 37:5
Recently I've recommitted to what I believe my purpose is and own up to the excuses of what I "don't have" to do it. I remember my mom telling me one day "you will have no excuse" because God has already given us everything we need. I was at the kitchen sink, washing out a pot when I happened to look up and see the S.O.S. Brillo pad box. There was a text box that stated "Environmental Commitment". Below that box was another text box with the Spanish translation of the above. The first word read "Compromiso". Whether you are able to read and understand the Spanish language or not, it is obvious that compromiso reads like compromise. I thought it strange that our English word commitment would be translated into it's equivalent in Spanish with what reads like compromise. You know how we use words but when we're asked the actual meaning, it's difficult to explain. The same goes for compromise. It has, in a sense, a negative connotation or sounds like you are giving up what's important to you for the sake of someone or something else. As if you are losing out. So I looked up the actual meaning of compromise and this is what I found:
1. Agreement reached by mutual concessions
3. To make vulnerable
Many times when we settle down enough to hear God's voice to find out how we can be used, we forgo the step of giving anything up or making "concessions" [yielding]. When we "commit" to God's purpose and will, we essentially "compromise", by making ourselves vulnerable [surrendering and giving over possession of our will for His]. God is saying "I am holding up my end of the bargain by providing provision", now what are you bringing to the table? What are you investing? When you commit to marriage, both individuals vow to bring something to the table in the deal. In every covenant made in the Bible, there was an exchange or a sacrifice to represent the commitment. To have faith, is to believe that your sacrifice in the spirit of your commitment to purpose is not in vain. God won't renege on his end of the bargain, but we do.
I have to admit, I have a couple of trash shows I enjoy watching that come on in the evenings. But I know that the evening time is the best time for me to be intimate with God (not a morning person). I know the call that's on my life and I also know that the more time I spend in God's presence, the easier it will be for me to make steps towards completing my assignment with as little missteps as possible. I have to wrestle with myself though and make a sacrifice of my time so I can be successful. One thing I am selfish about is my time. That's the biggest sacrifice I have to make. What sacrifice have you been protecting because you aren't ready to let go? If you haven't given something up, you aren't committing wholly. That will be the key to cure complacency.
The mark of a true sacrifice can be measured by the story of Abrahan and Isaac. Imagine your commitment involving your first born that you waited for painfully. I encourage you to read Genesis 22 to throw a log in your fire for God.
Definitions from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com
Recently I've recommitted to what I believe my purpose is and own up to the excuses of what I "don't have" to do it. I remember my mom telling me one day "you will have no excuse" because God has already given us everything we need. I was at the kitchen sink, washing out a pot when I happened to look up and see the S.O.S. Brillo pad box. There was a text box that stated "Environmental Commitment". Below that box was another text box with the Spanish translation of the above. The first word read "Compromiso". Whether you are able to read and understand the Spanish language or not, it is obvious that compromiso reads like compromise. I thought it strange that our English word commitment would be translated into it's equivalent in Spanish with what reads like compromise. You know how we use words but when we're asked the actual meaning, it's difficult to explain. The same goes for compromise. It has, in a sense, a negative connotation or sounds like you are giving up what's important to you for the sake of someone or something else. As if you are losing out. So I looked up the actual meaning of compromise and this is what I found:
1. Agreement reached by mutual concessions
| 2. | Compromise - an accommodation in which both sides make concessions |
3. To make vulnerable
Many times when we settle down enough to hear God's voice to find out how we can be used, we forgo the step of giving anything up or making "concessions" [yielding]. When we "commit" to God's purpose and will, we essentially "compromise", by making ourselves vulnerable [surrendering and giving over possession of our will for His]. God is saying "I am holding up my end of the bargain by providing provision", now what are you bringing to the table? What are you investing? When you commit to marriage, both individuals vow to bring something to the table in the deal. In every covenant made in the Bible, there was an exchange or a sacrifice to represent the commitment. To have faith, is to believe that your sacrifice in the spirit of your commitment to purpose is not in vain. God won't renege on his end of the bargain, but we do.
I have to admit, I have a couple of trash shows I enjoy watching that come on in the evenings. But I know that the evening time is the best time for me to be intimate with God (not a morning person). I know the call that's on my life and I also know that the more time I spend in God's presence, the easier it will be for me to make steps towards completing my assignment with as little missteps as possible. I have to wrestle with myself though and make a sacrifice of my time so I can be successful. One thing I am selfish about is my time. That's the biggest sacrifice I have to make. What sacrifice have you been protecting because you aren't ready to let go? If you haven't given something up, you aren't committing wholly. That will be the key to cure complacency.
The mark of a true sacrifice can be measured by the story of Abrahan and Isaac. Imagine your commitment involving your first born that you waited for painfully. I encourage you to read Genesis 22 to throw a log in your fire for God.
Definitions from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com
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