Walking on a tightrope?
Immersed in the practice of creating, all things that exist were birthed in Him.
4 His breath filled all things with a living, breathing light—a light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched. (John 1:3-5 VOICE)
Edith Wharton said, "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." We might want to concern ourselves with the cleanliness of the mirror, but the one who gazes into the mirror and sees his reflection is the one who much concern himself with the cleanness of that mirror, not us. In reflecting Christ, it is Christ who brings clarity to that image - we simply reflect what we receive. We are filled with his living breath - the very things which animates us and gives us connection with him and others. His light cannot be put out, nor can it be hidden. It is a light unlike any other - one which is meant to be reflected back and shown outwardly that others may catch sight of the only one who is able to see beauty in the murkiness of our lives.
As most would agree, that which we are "birthed from" makes up the majority of who or what we are. If we were birthed from a goat, we could not be a cow or a chicken. We could and would always be a goat. Try as we might to be otherwise, our make-up is that of a goat. We have been "birthed from" the living God. To think we can change that once the living, breathing light entered into us is simply foolish - for what God has breathed light into will reflect that light. We might not be as good at reflecting that light at times because our mirror gets a little smudged by the "dirt" of life, but it is God who works to remove that smudge, bringing clarity once again to the reflection of light within.
Wharton also stated there were two ways of facing life - as either walking a tightrope or lying in a feather bed. To her, the choice was simple - she wanted the tightrope. I'd have to agree with her, for the moments that challenge us the most are those which reveal our true focus. If you have ever studied those who walk a tightrope, you'd find out there is nothing more important than the focus one maintains while doing so. If one looks down at the distance below them, one could become overly concerned with falling - something which dramatically affects one's balance, for fear puts one totally off balance. If one doesn't continually consider one's perspective in relation to the tightrope, one might soon lose balance and take a misstep, resulting in a fall or at least a slip.
The feather bed may be the easiest and the "safest", but what happens when we take our slumber? We find the light is soon gone! We drift into sleep and the things we once revealed while awake are no longer as evident. The tightrope might keep us a little "stressed", but it is that stress which clarifies our focus, reorders our steps, and keeps us attentive. We might long for the feather bed, but God wants to reflect his light in and through us - something we really find we do best when we focus directly on him while living a life of perfect balance upon the tightrope. Just sayin!
4 His breath filled all things with a living, breathing light—a light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched. (John 1:3-5 VOICE)
Edith Wharton said, "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." We might want to concern ourselves with the cleanliness of the mirror, but the one who gazes into the mirror and sees his reflection is the one who much concern himself with the cleanness of that mirror, not us. In reflecting Christ, it is Christ who brings clarity to that image - we simply reflect what we receive. We are filled with his living breath - the very things which animates us and gives us connection with him and others. His light cannot be put out, nor can it be hidden. It is a light unlike any other - one which is meant to be reflected back and shown outwardly that others may catch sight of the only one who is able to see beauty in the murkiness of our lives.
As most would agree, that which we are "birthed from" makes up the majority of who or what we are. If we were birthed from a goat, we could not be a cow or a chicken. We could and would always be a goat. Try as we might to be otherwise, our make-up is that of a goat. We have been "birthed from" the living God. To think we can change that once the living, breathing light entered into us is simply foolish - for what God has breathed light into will reflect that light. We might not be as good at reflecting that light at times because our mirror gets a little smudged by the "dirt" of life, but it is God who works to remove that smudge, bringing clarity once again to the reflection of light within.
Wharton also stated there were two ways of facing life - as either walking a tightrope or lying in a feather bed. To her, the choice was simple - she wanted the tightrope. I'd have to agree with her, for the moments that challenge us the most are those which reveal our true focus. If you have ever studied those who walk a tightrope, you'd find out there is nothing more important than the focus one maintains while doing so. If one looks down at the distance below them, one could become overly concerned with falling - something which dramatically affects one's balance, for fear puts one totally off balance. If one doesn't continually consider one's perspective in relation to the tightrope, one might soon lose balance and take a misstep, resulting in a fall or at least a slip.
The feather bed may be the easiest and the "safest", but what happens when we take our slumber? We find the light is soon gone! We drift into sleep and the things we once revealed while awake are no longer as evident. The tightrope might keep us a little "stressed", but it is that stress which clarifies our focus, reorders our steps, and keeps us attentive. We might long for the feather bed, but God wants to reflect his light in and through us - something we really find we do best when we focus directly on him while living a life of perfect balance upon the tightrope. Just sayin!
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