In the Chicago airport, I was struck by the realization that enjoying the presence of one’s travel companions is a stark contrast to the general picture and a strong testimony of God-given individual value.
There may not be Biblical text to support or disprove any and every action a believer may try to justify in his or her life. But there certainly is text to illustrate the attitudes with which we are to approach life. The literal actions may thereby be extrapolated individually, as each situation arises.
For example, in Deuteronomy 22:8, is the concern really whether or not our roofs have low walls surrounding them? What is the principle behind this command? Likely that we ought to be cognizant of the safety (physical and otherwise) of all people in our lives. Underlying that exhortation is the assertion that people are precious to God. They matter. Our actions should demonstrate their value. In Buffalo, that means we shovel our sidewalks so passersby don’t slip and injure themselves. Maybe in Alabama, it would mean gently reminding people you care about not to drive into tornados.
We may not have all the “rules” scripted out (and thank God! We are already so legalistic about the ones we DO have), but we have something better. We have His heart for us, in the principles to which we are called. And with those in mind, we should always seek the better way.
We are women. We struggle to care about how we look, and struggle not to care about how we look. We seek to stand out even as we seek to fit in. We ask God to bless those we love, while we ask Him not to bless them to the point that we become jealous. We are insecure, confident, deafening and silent. We know more than is reasonable about everyone in our lives, and less than is reasonable about ourselves. We are reaching out even while we are pushing away. We are everything and nothing to so many people, especially those we value most. And at the end of the day, all we really need to be is His.
Sometimes, life breaks our hearts. All we can do is hope we are on the quick track to God redeeming every bit of it for good.
It’s easy to be brave when one refuses to look at the value of what is being lost. It’s so much harder to count the cost before going off to war. As therapists say: we must do the work. And the work is tears, and prayer, and waiting.
My. God. Hurry into our brokenness: We can barely speak from the anguish of it all. Be the Center. (Because YOU ARE).
