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With grateful hearts, we share our thoughts on redemption through Jesus Christ and His saving blood and what it looks like in our daily walk.

We gladly welcome your comments and input.
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AND since we hold our conservative values dear, we might have a thing or two to say about politics... and we can almost guarantee it won't be politically correct.



Friday, February 6, 2009

Good That Is Not The Best

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

The words “one thing is needful” came to me so clearly as I cried my way through my morning routine. It was many, many years ago but it is one of those rare encounters between my heartbroken self and the Holy Spirit I can remember as if it were yesterday.

This morning reading from Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest, I was reminded of that time.

You see, I spent much of my earliest mothering days overwhelmed and overly consumed with burdens I didn’t feel I had the strength to carry. Even though my three young children were each wonderful and smart and good, each day seemed a bigger challenge than I was capable of mastering. Every problem – even the small ones- began to feel like a mountain standing in the way, blocking any slight progress.

The golden rule for your life and mine is this concentrated keeping of the life open towards God. Let everything else - work, clothes, food, everything on earth - go by the board, saving that one thing. The rush of other things always tends to obscure this concentration on God. Chambers

It’s not as if I didn’t know God. I did. I was serving my church, reading my Bible, praying, volunteering at my children’s schools, keeping up with the house, the extracurricular activities of my children’s sports programs, doing everything I knew to do to please God and be the best wife and mom possible. This was my deepest heart’s desire. It was my pursuit really. Still, it seemed as if with every positive step forward in this pursuit there would be several backward and, for me, it began to feel like a chore to stay married.

You always know when a man (non-gender, my insert) has been beholding the glory of the Lord, you feel in your inner spirit that he is the mirror of the Lord's own character. Beware of anything which would sully that mirror in you; it is nearly always a good thing, the good that is not the best. Chambers

I’d NEVER want to throw Mr. Meems under the bus on the Internet (or anywhere- although I’ve been known to do it- ACK! shame on me). He is kind, merciful, generous, the best father in the world and a loving man.

That said, a truth we both faced along the way in our commitment is that we have the same basic conservative philosophy toward life in general but our personalities are completely opposite. So let’s just say for the sake of understanding my point … That dynamic leads to the fact that our approach in how to carry out that philosophy in each situation of life can be quite different in many cases.

Back to that day I was working my way through my morning routine. I was making the bed and I honestly thought my heart might shatter into a thousand pieces if I didn’t get some relief. Those four words "one thing is needful" came floating up to my brain from somewhere in the core of my being. I recognized them not with an address to locate them, but as fresh words ... words that gave me life ... words from God. They came gently and yet with an authoritative tone as if they were meant just for me, just to bring me the relief I needed. They were words that soothed and calmed my agitated soul all at once. They were words that resonated with my understanding. Not because I understood their exact meaning immediately but because I understood now was the time to grasp onto God Who was there to sort it all out with me.

To be continued …

2 comments:

Patricia said...

Can't wait to read more, Meems.

Anonymous said...

Powerful, touching, poignant, profound... thanks for sharing this. I am looking forward to the rest.