Empty Shells

It always seems impossible until it’s done. — Nelson Mandela
 

When the announcement for an art class I had desired to take arrived only a few days prior to the start date, my first reaction was, "I can't." It had been a few years since I'd done anything more than sketches, and now, with a full-time teaching job, professional development to complete for my part-time graduate-level instructor position, housework, and time for family and a few friends, I couldn't imagine being able to add it to my calendar on such short notice. But I really, really wanted to. So, I prayed. 

In a matter of a few minutes, the tide began to turn. I started to see possibilities. The class was only a month long, which would leave me another month to complete my professional development. The household chores could be accomplished in the evening after work and on painting breaks, and family and friends could be accommodated in brief interludes. 

The next barrier was to inventory my art supplies and purchase what I didn't have. Through the blessing of the Internet, all this was accomplished in a few hours. As I settled down to start the first assignment, the delivery truck arrived with the last few colors for the palette. 

Still, I could not have been more anxious.

"I can't do this without you, Lord. I know you have brought me to this point, but I can't seem to get started. Show me how. Show me where to begin." I began to thank Him for the supplies, for the timing, for His leading, for my understanding husband, for the opportunity. Then I dipped the brush in the water. It was, after all, a class. I was taking it to learn and learning involves mistakes.

Immediately I understood. Learning, though I enjoy it now, has always been a challenge for me. If it didn't come naturally, I shied away. I had no confidence in my ability. As time went on, there were things I just had to do. And because I had to, I did. I overcame the anxiety by focusing on the one thing I had to do next, one step at a time. 

Trusting God to show me the first step in the painting assignment, and following Him to the next step, it became a time of communion with Him, of prayer for others, of worship, and of revelation. I am certain that is exactly how it was meant to be. I'm also fairly certain that this is how God has made each of us to be. Not anxious, necessarily, but needy. We don't want to be and we are inundated with messages that tell us we shouldn't be. That's the world we were born into. But, it wasn't always so. In the beginning, man needed God for everything. It was a sweet communion until the idea of self sufficiency was born. 

Personally, I'm glad to let that self sufficiency thing die. Being an empty shell is a beautiful thing. 

The finished painting - Empty Shells

Psalm 37:4-5

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you (The Living Bible).

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life (New Living Translation).

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Happy are those whose trust is in the Lord, Who rely on the Lord.

⁸ They will be like trees planted by the streams, whose roots reach down to the water.

They won’t fear drought when it comes; their leaves will remain green.
They won’t be stressed in the time of drought or fail to bear fruit (Common English Bible).

John 15:5

I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing (The Voice).

Excerpt from

While it Is Called Today

a 30-day photo devotional

by Dee Marvin Emeigh

www.livwellseedco.com

A Penny for Your Thoughts

It's the little details that are vital. 

Little things make big things happen — 

Coach John Wooden

You've been there a time or two, as have I. Our thoughts carry us off from the moment at hand, the person we are with, what we are reading or doing. Then, someone quotes the idiom: "A penny for your thoughts," in an attempt to bring us back to the moment. I probably owe a fortune in those pennies. 

Just pennies...nothing big...not even worth bending down to pick them up, especially when we're carrying heavy loads, or are under a great deal of pressure from the myriad or the mammoth. 

Pennies have all but lost their value. In fact, the penny is an endangered species, with some economists suggesting the penny costs more to produce than its actual trade value. After all, what can you buy for a penny? 

We know from Mary Poppins, that tuppence (two pennies) can feed the birds or be saved to add up to millions over time.
 

It is that way in God's kingdom, as well. Our greatest investment, trust, starts with the little things, the small, seemingly inconsequential things. If we don't start there, we will not be able to trust Him when faced with large and looming, overwhelming amount of responsibilities and problems in life. Each seemingly insignificant exercise of penny-weight faith, of yielding willingly to God's direction, counts. 

 

Continuously bringing my wandering or worrying thoughts back to God is like stopping to pick up the pennies I pass in the street. This conscious, deliberate act of asking for His guidance in countless, minute events builds my confidence in Him. 

It may seem simple, but try it the next time you see a penny lying on the ground. Set down your bags, boxes, and busy agenda to pick it up if you can (unless you are crossing the street). I'm not promising good luck or earthly wealth; what I'm promising is that each penny can serve as a reminder to ask the Father God for His guidance. Over time you will have accumulated the greatest treasure you could possibly imagine. 

This continuous, conscious process of waiting and listening for His direction is one of the most precious things we can invest in the kingdom of God. It is multiplied back to us exponentially in the confidence of His guidance, His presence in our everyday affairs, and peace that abides in the midst of turmoil. 

The conversion rate is phenomenal. The pennies of our moments, for a lifetime of God's guidance. Seems like a very good deal to me.

Psalm 127:1-2 

If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.

If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (The Message).

Matthew 7:24-27
Those people who are listening to Me, those people who hear what I say and live according to My teachings—you are like a wise man who built his house on a rock, on a firm foundation. When storms hit, rain pounded down and waters rose, levies broke and winds beat all the walls of that house. But the house did not fall because it was built upon rock (The Voice).

Mark 12:41-44
As Jesus sat facing the temple offering box, he watched how [much] money people put into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. A poor widow dropped in two small coins, worth less than a cent. He called his disciples and said to them, "I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. All of them have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on." 

Luke 16:10
If you’re faithful in small-scale matters, you’ll be faithful with far bigger responsibilities. If you’re crooked in small responsibilities, you’ll be no different in bigger things (The Voice).

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. (Easy to Read Version). 

2 Corinthians 10:4-5
The weapons of the war we’re fighting are not of this world but are powered by God and effective at tearing down the strongholds erected against His truth. We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge of the one true God. We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One (The Voice).

 

Excerpt from

While it Is Called Today

a 30-day photo devotional

by Dee Marvin Emeigh

www.livwellseedco.com