Sunday, January 1, 2012

small stones

“Ever wonder where you’d end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?” Robert Brault

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things I already know Gods got His hand on you
So don’t live in fear
 
He’ll break open the skies
For those who cry out His name
But wait everything can change in a moments time
The words to those songs blaring from my stereo speakers

“Is anyone even working at the radio station or did they just put those two songs on repeat and leave for Christmas break? That is all I have been hearing lately.”

I grumbled through clenched teeth as I flipped the off switch, feeling out of breath like I just finished running the Boston Marathon.

I have been feeling anxious and jittery for days, not in a worried sort of way but rather in an out of sorts sort of way, pacing the floors and wearing a trench between the kitchen and the living room. My Bible becoming a permanent fixture in my palms flipping through it looking for something… anything that will tell me where to put these feelings I am having.

The tissue like pages almost turning themselves and settling in on 2 Corinthians, the words boldly dancing before my eyes as if they are the only ones written on the page.

2 Corinthians 4:16-19

Seeing the Invisible

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We humans are spectacular at getting in our own way.  We see our outward man perishing through the ordinary everydayness, nothing is moving nothing is changing it is just another day when we so desperately don’t want it to be just another ordinary day we want Him to break open the skies for us we want to do great things, so we talk ourselves a blue streak until we have finally sold ourselves on the idea that God waiting for us to move, convinced that He needs our “help”.

So very rarely does His timing match with ours, so often we think we are more ready than what we actually are. 

We begin the journey of our own making, our legs moving faster beneath us with every step we take until we are full steam ahead down the road that we think is going to carry us closer to our destination kicking aside those small stones that we think will cause us to stumble and fall.

It is not about our destination but the small stones we find along the side of road on our way there

Those small stones that are seemingly getting in our way but are renewing our inward man day by day, glory to glory, even when it looks as if our outward man is perishing.

The small stones of what looks to be the ordinary is where our story is being written, the voice of the gift that God has chosen to give us is being matured, our faith strengthened.

We don’t know everything, even when we think we do

Sometimes we are called to be teachers, but more often we are students, students of the Word and students in God’s classroom, our inward man constantly being renewed through the journeys we are put upon headed towards destinations that were written into the plan for our lives long before we were born.

And In the midst of the regular, when everything looks the same as it always has when it looks like nothing is going to change does He then hold out  His hand for us and tell us to get up, it is time to go.

In a moment’s time He breaks open the skies.

And when we look back on our journey we discover that those small stones that we tried to kick out of our way were not indeed stumbling blocks but rather essential to our destination, preparation for what was up ahead and the gifts we were going need when we got there.

A New Year is upon us a fresh start, instead of arm wrestling with God for the control rather let Him lead you around the dance floor you never know where you will end up.

5 comments:

  1. Beautifully written Kandi! :) I find those small stones in my way too sometimes, but I know that He leads me to where I’m supposed to be, and He is going to be with me every step of the way. As I look ahead and wonder about the future, I have hope in all things, because I know this single truth: God Himself planned those very stones in my path long ago.

    Wishing you the very best for this bright New Year my friend! :)

    Blessings and hugs,
    Denise

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  2. "We humans are spectacular at getting in our way." So true, Kandi. I wonder where God will lead us this year..if we'd just get out of the way! Happy New Year, Kandi!

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  3. Kandi, there is much to savor in what you've shared. Your analogy of small stone brought to mind a post I written some time ago titled Pebble or Rock. You have given a fresh perspective of rocks today. Aiming to allow God to lead me around this year. Happy New Year!

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  4. I really like this Kandi. Instead of wrestling, I am choosing to let God have control.

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  5. Kandi, these words paint such a beautiful picture: "instead of arm wrestling with God for the control rather let Him lead you around the dance floor." I once heard the word Guidance defined as - "God, You and I dance." Love it!

    Many blessings!

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