And then there was Light...(brokenness continued)

II Corinthians4:6-7 says,

" For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone
in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels..."

The God of Genesis Who commanded "Let there be light" and by His great power our universe began to form; this universe that scientists and scholars spend back-breaking hours to understand and explain; started with light...Before the sun, moon, and stars, God spoke light into its place and set it in time and gave it a name: day!

He did the very same thing in our hearts. Out of dark hearts God commanded light and a whole new universe (the born-again me) began to unfold. And with that light is this concept of 'earthen vessels', 'clay pots' if you will; that we might never think this light comes from our own selves but only from the God of all creation.

The earthen pots were used to cover the torches of Joshua, but that is not what impacted the battle. It was the breaking of the pots to reveal the light of the torches that caused panic and surrender!!!

In me is a light created by God. God is light. Unless I allow who I am to crack apart no one will ever see that light. My relationship with God must produce cracks and holes...and it will if I stop trying to fix me. My wholeness is not about the putting together of a tidy outer shell but it is in allowing the Lord to shine through me - a common vessel.

The light is what will stop others in their tracks. That light is what will bring others to their knees. That light will bring others to Salvation. Not me, not the vessel, but the light.

So often I find myself gluing and taping the cracks, thinking I am doing well. Then He reminds me of what I am and Who He is. He reminds me that at a certain point in battle it is time for Him to crack the pots and allow the light, His light, to penetrate the darkness. That is how darkness is overcome.

My prayer is that I may know Him more and more, that when it is time for cracks and holes I don't panic, I don't resist...more of Him, less of me, amen.

Brokenness

The parking lot by the church on the corner is old. The parking space lines can barely be seen anymore. There are small hills and valleys made by roots from trees that are not close enough to even be seen.

If you drive by just before sundown, when the sun's light is coming at you almost horizontally you can see it. You can see the cracks in the pavement. They are everywhere.

Time and heat and cold and roots have done this.

The parking lot is broken.

But, if you drive by just before sundown, you know, when the light is coming at you almost horizontally you can see more than just the cracks...grass and weeds are growing up through those cracks.

The life that had been hidden and pressed down and buried beneath the tar and asphalt is re-emerging.

Brokenness- it sounds like a negative...

but in the Kingdom it is inevitable. That asphalt and tar covered the earth and its life the way a callous covers a toe, the way crusty old stone stuff covers our hearts.

Until the Lord comes and starts the process of cracking us the life remains hidden beneath that grotesque stuff we have used to 'protect' us for so long.

I love the parking lot by the church...it reminds me of my heart and even though the stuff of life has hammered away at it, I get to see the life that has been hidden for so long coming up through the cracks reaching toward the sun. What had been hidden underneath was no good to anyone until it broke through the cracks...

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give
praise. ~Psalm 57:7
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with
my glory. ~Psalm 108:1
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in
everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is
fixed, trusting in the Lord. ~Psalm 112:6&7