The mess was me.
And every new thing this world dangled in my face couldn't clean me up and set me free.
All my life I had
worked hard
studied hard
tried hard to get along
…and yet in all my trying I couldn’t manufacture this new-ness that my heart longed for.
I couldn’t make it work.
I couldn’t make it work.
I failed to recognize this critical truth...
WE DON’T MAKE NEW. WE ARE MADE NEW.
A strong work ethic, competitive spirit, and desire for success can stand defiantly in the way of what our hearts are truly longing for.
In that one simple statement,
made new
that one simple relinquishment of authority to Something greater than ourselves,
the floodgates swing wide and new finally rushes over us like an entire ocean's worth of water.
We stop running
stop trying
stop searching
stop working
stop flailing around breathless...
and
just
start
drowning.
Deeper,
deeper,
deeper,
under the weight of the living water that presses that old life out of us until our hardened hearts stop beating and our self-righteous minds stop spinning.
And slowly
we float
back to the surface
a limp and lifeless version of ourselves
dead
until our cold, blank faces break through the surface and the warmth of holy breath is blown into our mouths, filling our lungs, giving us life...
new life.
And so we rise up, water dripping from our limbs, feeling alive for the first time.
We stand on the shores of redemption in the same skin and yet...
a
completely
new
creation.
In that one simple statement,
made new
that one simple relinquishment of authority to Something greater than ourselves,
the floodgates swing wide and new finally rushes over us like an entire ocean's worth of water.
We stop running
stop trying
stop searching
stop working
stop flailing around breathless...
and
just
start
drowning.
Deeper,
deeper,
deeper,
under the weight of the living water that presses that old life out of us until our hardened hearts stop beating and our self-righteous minds stop spinning.
And slowly
we float
back to the surface
a limp and lifeless version of ourselves
dead
until our cold, blank faces break through the surface and the warmth of holy breath is blown into our mouths, filling our lungs, giving us life...
new life.
And so we rise up, water dripping from our limbs, feeling alive for the first time.
We stand on the shores of redemption in the same skin and yet...
a
completely
new
creation.
If we seek new in this temporal world, the impact will be temporary.
If we seek new in the hands that hold eternity, the impact will never end.
If a new spirit and new life is to be ours we must stop floating around in fleeting things and start diving into divine places.
2 comments:
"I am done!"....those were my words after a family fiaco during the holidays. I was done trying to make things better. I was done trying to make a blended family work that had no desire to work. This blog post helped me to see what happened....I was "done" trying to do things in my own strength. I stopped trying and started praying, and I am seeing miraculous results in ways I would never have dreamaed. Thank you, Elizabeth!
P.S. You are a natural in front of the TV camera; I LOVED your interview! I'll be praying for you next week-end during your event. Love and Blessings!!
Oh, Elizabeth, this is so beautiful! How often do I strive for new, when all the time the mystery of the gospel tells me I have been made new already. Your insight is convicting. All my focus and action needs to be on serving the One who raised me up to a new life. No work I can do will make me more alive. Blessings, friend!
Post a Comment