Beautiful Scripture

Alright, confession time:  I do not actually read every scripture that I see quoted or written somewhere.  I normally just scan it, and assume that I am getting the gist of it.  This is not my greatest practice.  How could that possibly allow me to understand the full glory of the Word?  I would definitely suggest not taking after me, and instead reading the following scriptures in this post.  There are just a few, but I think that they are absolutely beautiful. 

As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,  

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55: 10-11

Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you. 

Psalm 139: 7-12

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, 

   for I have put my trust in you. 

Show me the way I should go, 

   for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 143: 8

Thank you Lord, for your Word.  Let me be reminded that only by taking the time to read and meditate on your Word can I be fully blessed by its beauty.

(All passages taken from the New International Version)

 

Playing in the Dust

"I took this incarnation 

to experience your universal drama,

Yet like a small child, 

I only played with dust."

This short stanza is from a poem by Lex Hixon called "The play of my soul is over" (found in the book Mother of the Universe).  Now, I don't exactly ascribe to the whole worship-the-goddess-Kali, Hindu-reincarnation, wear-a-garland-of-severed-heads-around-your-neck lifestyle that the poems endorse, but I do like the message that these particular verses are throwing out there.  

It's kind of spinning the traditional carpe diem mantra.  To me, it's saying, take the opportunity in front of you.  Take advantage of what you are being faced with right now.  Don't just sit and let life pass you by.  It reminds me of that little kid on Christmas Day, who wakes up to find that Santa brought him this awesome, new, and exciting (fill-in-the-blank), but instead of being totally enthralled by the new toy all day, he ends up just playing with the empty box that the toy came in for ages.  (I realize that this analogy could also be used to say "Find Joy in the Little Things!" or "Look Past Appearances!" but bear with me here.)  The kid is sitting with this empty box in front of him, and it consumes all of his focus, so much so that he misses out on all of the excitement that waits for him with the true prize.  How much am I missing out on by only focusing on empty boxes?  In this case, the author of this poem took on Incarnation- to experience Universal Drama!  This sounds (albeit slightly ridiculous) like it has so much potential!  And yet he sits playing in the dust, missing out on so much.

As much as I would like to say that I read this book on my own to expand my cultural horizons and understand a novel way of thinking, I actually read it because it was assigned in my World Lit class.  Today when we were discussing it, my professor summed up one of the major points of the book as this:

 Death only matters if you are living a less-than life. 

It was a striking thought.  It resonates especially with me because I realized that my God is great enough to reach me even through the teachings of another religion.  This thought about less-than life is exactly what God is saying to me about my life... death is not important because my life is not less-than when I have redemption and a higher purpose to live for (his glory).  I have something new to focus on.

SO here we go, time to start.  Don't settle for less than this fantastic new life- Put down the empty box.  Brush off the dust.