On my kitchen windowsill I have a big mason jar full of flowers that I picked this week. My husband looked at it and said, "What a mess." I looked over at what he was referring to - the golden pollen and tiny white flowers and bigger different-colored petals that had fallen all around the jar and all I saw was nature's glitter and confetti. I thought it was pretty. Where he saw a mess, I saw beauty.
I thought about how we see things so differently and perhaps why that is.
I'll be moaning and complaining about this mountain ahead of me that has overwhelmed me to the point of wanting to lay down and die at the base of it and my husband will ask, "What in the world is going on with you?" And from my prostrate position, I'll point up and say, "That mountain. I can't get over it." And he'll look and say, "WHAT mountain?" I point again more vigorously and say, "THAT mountain." And he looks at it and says, "What. You mean that little molehill? Psh!" I gape in surprise and look back at that dark looming thing and lo and behold, it IS a molehill!! With his simple declaration, that mountain shrunk to a molehill and I could suddenly get up and stomp right over it. Where I saw impossible, he saw as doable. Where I saw difficult, he saw as easy peasey.
That's what we do for each other. This is what Christ does for us through each other. This is what Christ does for us.
Often in the mornings when I sit down to have my daily talk with God, I'll hand over this impossibly tangled ball of yarn with tears in my eyes, knowing there is no way it can be untangled. I tried and it is such a hopeless mess. The Lord says, "Tell me about it." and I do. And while I am spinning out the story of my woes and burdens, fears and worries, He is quietly, calmly untangling that mess. When I am done He says, "Here. Look." and to my (daily) surprise, it's not a mess anymore. It's all laid out nicely and orderly and something I can now work with. I see things more clearly. Things that seemed impossible, I now see solutions for. Things that seemed overwhelming have been shrunk down to manageable size. Things that scared me don't seem frightening at all now. Things that were completely out of my control are now sitting in my Father's big capable hands and I know they are in His control so I don't have to even think about them anymore. Sigh.... Oh that feels so much better. The burdens are off. I am free to skip through my day with peace and joy.
Where I saw chaos, He saw order. Where I saw a tangled mess, He saw beauty. Where I saw fear and weakness, He saw strength and courage. Where I saw just poor old weak me, He saw Himself in me and that His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
This is what Christ does for us and what He'll do through us for others - to help us see the truth, help each other to see that we can indeed do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens us. Amen. Thank You Father! ♡
