People who say they have no regrets must struggle with their memory. Maybe “regrets” is too strong of a word, I don’t know. But as I look back on my saved life I have many things I would have done differently. There are a good strong handful of conversations I have had with folks over the past many years that I would like to have back. I wish I could reinstate the “automatic do-over rule” that worked so wonderfully in our back yard wiffle ball games in 4th grade. But such is not the nature of this life we live. And it amazes me as I continue to grow in the Lord just how much growing I have yet to do! At each stage of life God reveals new areas in my life that scream of sin, insecurity, and immaturity. Sometimes, when God reveals more of me to myself, I will say, “Have we not progressed past this point!?!?” The sad answer is “no.” God is still about His work in me. I have a lot of growing up to do!

“Norman Douty writes, ‘If I am to be like Him, then God in His grace must do it, and the sooner I come to recognize it the sooner I will be delivered from another form of bondage. Throw down every endeavor and say, I cannot do it, the more I try the farther I get from His likeness. What shall I do? Ah, the Holy Spirit says, You cannot do it; just withdraw; come out of it. You have been in the arena, you have been endeavoring, you are a failure, come out and sit down, and as you sit there behold Him, look at Him. Don’t try to be like Him, just look at Him. Just be occupied with Him. Forget about trying to be like Him. Instead of letting that fill your mind and heart, let Him fill it. Just behold Him, look upon Him through the Word. Come to the Word for one purpose and that is to meet the Lord. Not to get your mind crammed full of things about the sacred Word, but come to it to meet the Lord. Make it to be a medium, not of Biblical scholarship, but of fellowship with Christ. Behold the Lord.’

Thou sayest, Fit me, fashion me for Thee.

Stretch forth thine empty hands, and be thou stilll:

O restless soul, thou dost but hinder Me

By valiant purpose and by steadfast will.

Behold the summer flowers beneath the sun,

In stillness his great glory they behold;

And sweetly thus his mighty word is done.

And resting in his gladness they unfold.

So are the sweetness and joy Divine

Thine, O beloved, and the work is mine.” - Ter Steegen

The freeing part of all of this is that it isn’t on me to be transformed.  That is God’s job.  My job is to be in His Presence and behold the beauty of the Lord.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 6:22 am and is filed under The Green Letters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.