Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Slow's Bookends


Are you getting tired of hearing about slow yet? I hope not, because I am nowhere near done processing this idea and lifestyle. I've come across a couple of books about living slow but they are not from a Biblical or Christian lifestyle perspective - so not a big fan so far though I do love the slowing regardless.

As I have been thinking about slow, and processing it in light of these words: surrender, less, order and worship - it dawned on me that the two bookend words are really what I want to bookend my days.





Surrender
Worship

Surrender to what God has in store for the day even if it is not on my to-do list or throws a huge wrench in my list. Surrender to His plan being greater than mine. Surrender to whimsy and serendipity and being flexible. Surrender to the fact that life happens and things change.

And, then to cap off the day with worship. Having these two supporting ends can and does hold a host of things in between, but these are the supports, the weight-bearers if you will.

I had fun creating this ink and paper art to sort of illustrate my vision for this - the lower shelf contains supporting volumes surrender and worship while the middle volumes are less and order with love in the very middle. And, yes - I did get a bit heavy handed with grunging it up with ink splatters!




If all I am doing is not bathed in love, motivated by love, overflowing with love - it will be worthless. Remember 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but have not love, I gain nothing."

The top shelf is more of what is birthed out of putting this lower shelf in action: faith, family, memories, beauty ~ we can still have these things without living with surrender, less, order and worship. But, I think it blesses those areas when we do.





What if I literally started my day by surrendering it to Him and His plans and ended my day in worshiping God for how He was glorified through my day and accomplishing His work in me?