Wednesday, July 27, 2011

just a small thing...

quite insignificant in size… lacking any beauty. nonetheless, it was fighting with all its might to be free.

as i was getting my coffee this morning, my eye was drawn by a fluttering in among the wood pile just a few feet from my window. the movement would stop for a second or two and begin again. i was pretty sure it was a moth ensnared in a spider web - but it could have been a bit of leaf.

if it was a moth - it was of no import. but i felt a twinge.

did some other things. back to the window. still fluttering. still fighting. must be a moth. more twinge.

yet other things needed my attention. i argued against the twinge - ‘it’s just a moth - not even a pretty one - not like a butterfly or dragonfly. just… a… moth.’

finally went back to the window to see if it was still there - sure enough it was - still fighting.

no more arguing with the twinge. went outside. got a twig and broke the web from the wood. got the moth - also got the spider. moth was trying to get free - spider was trying to wrap it more in it’s web - I was determined to set the moth free.

guess who won that battle? got the spider separated from the moth - then was able to get the little creature out of the web.

it sat on my fingers for a moment - then flew away.

it was created to fly - it was being hindered unto death.

i think that’s why the not-letting-go twinge. in the scheme of things, i’m just a small thing… lacking any real beauty… insignificant as the world judges.

but… He is teaching me to fly - and i must do so - no matter the struggle.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

choice...

choose... decide... make up your mind... resolve and settle it once and for all
we have been given a wonderful tool - a 'decider'. we can use it for all sorts of situations and circumstances in our lives.


will we have another piece of chocolate... will we sell our belongings and go to the other side of the world to help AIDs orphans. and all sorts of inbetweens.


the other day, after reading a comment from a friend, i got to thinking about a passage in the Old Testament - actually, two passages - and only a snippet from each. they both speak of choice. they speak of life... and who we will serve.

then, a third passage followed hard on the heels of the first two - this one in the New Testament. about not living as others have dictated.


"... I have set before you life and death... choose life that you may live" - there is a quality of living we are given the opportunity to choose.

"... choose who you will serve..." - there is servitude involved in our choice.

"... do not be conformed..." - that tells me i can make a choice as to whether i will shape myself to someone else's demands.

we can choose - i choose life. we can choose to not be in servitude to that which binds, and stifles, and controls - i choose life. we can choose not to be conformed to their patterns - i choose life.

we can choose, decide, make up our minds to be bent and pushed and shaped into someone's mold. if we do, in my seeing and experience, we have chosen death. we have chosen to serve that person/thing/institution, etc, in the fashion of their choosing. and that results in death to whom we are meant to be.

even if we have chosen that which brings death and servitude and conforming - we can choose again - for life. and in the very choosing, we will begin to be set free - transformed - renewed. in our minds - in our walks - in our lives.

and we will find that good, acceptable, perfect desire for us. we will find and know His desire for us - we will find, and walk in - that person He desires us to be.