The basics. That's what I'm relearning right now; the basics of my faith. Lately, I've forgetten what is most important. I've lost myself in theology and homiletics and doctrines. Now I'm trying to find myself again in the simple, beautiful truths of the Gospel.
I've been challenged to give up the unnecessary tasks that I've been clinging to, and slow down the pace that I've kept for so long. So I rose to the challenge and started analyzing my life to see what I could give up and delegate and eliminate. It hasn't been easy, but it's been necessary and refreshing. Not only was I presented with the challenge to lay aside excess responsibility, but I've been reminded to engage in hobbies that refresh my spirit.
It feels strange to type that; an oxymoron. When I think of hobbies, I don't think "spiritual growth." I think "waste of time." But with help from friends and the One who lives within me, I'm learning that my way of thinking isn't always right. I'm remembering that it's in the most unexpected times that God speaks most clearly to my heart.
Over the past month, I've given up several responsibilities that were monopolizing my time. So there've been a few minutes of free time (gasp). Last week, I got home from work and went down to my basement and hauled up an old coffee table that I picked up for free. This coffee table is downright ugly. It's finished in an orangy-gunstock color. Someone used it as a workbench, so there's a dozen different colors of stain on the top, along with several holes from varying sizes of drill bits. But I can't tell you how solid and sturdy that table is. I about put my back out just carrying it up the stairs.
When I first saw the table, I didn't see the ugly stain or the drill holes. I saw its solidity, and the potential for what it could be with some elbow grease and a little know-how. I'm currently right in the middle of refinishing it. It's been slightly disassembled and heavily sanded and thoroughly cleaned. I had to get down to the "bare bones" of the structure before I could start refinishing it for my intended purpose.
And while I've been disassembling and sanding and cleaning, God has been reminding me that this is what the Church sometimes looks like: a pile of unwanted, underutilized furniture. I can't tell you how many men and women that I've talked with lately that have absolutely no idea how much they have to offer. When they look at the themselves, they see nicks and scratches. They see all the damage that the world has done. Maybe some of the damage was self-inflicted. They feel like they've been discarded and left out on the curb for trash day. They've believed the lies that they're unwanted or unskilled or unsightly. But I've been blessed enough to be able to see beyond the surface. Sometimes, God gives me glimpses of how solid and sturdy people are. He lets me see the potential that lies within an individual. He has reminded me that He's able to disassemble, repair, and refinish hearts and minds. He has reminded me that He can accomplish His purposes with willing hearts. He has reminded me that He is in the business of restoration.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!"
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