Something crunches beneath my tires as I parallel park outside of a Christian bookstore. Coming around to pay the meter, I see the crunching came from what used to be a coffee cup that is now smashed to smithereens. Clearly, I was not the first one to run it over.
"You alone hold my broken cup."
I can't help but smile at the irony of the moment. Over coffee a few days before, I had a conversation about (among other things) parking meters, Christian books, and cracked cups.
"You alone hold my broken cup. My heart's so dusty and dry."
Two days earlier I stood in the audience and listened to singer/songwriter Peder Eide talk about cracked cups.
We all have cups. God pours out love, affirmation, encouragement intending to fill our cup until it overflows. Yet fear, abandonment, rejection, etc. have cracked our cups. Some cracks are bigger than others yet still the goodness of God leaks out and the cup never overflows. This is not what God intended.
"I'll ache 'til You make me whole."
As an audience, we extended our hand-cups into the air, handing them to our Abba Father like a small child hands a broken object to a parent. Individually we identified a specific crack and asked Him to fix it.
"Abba, this belongs to You."
I had just spent the last hour closely examining the multiple cracks in my cup. The cracks that are causing fast leaks and those that are slower. The causes of the cracks and the repercussions of them. The need for the Lord to repair the cracks and fill my cup.
"Abba, this belongs to You. This belongs to You, Abba Father."
Mending takes time, especially when your cup has been run over... twice. Especially when the cause of the cracks lead to multiple, "Oh, Honey"s. Yet when you, when I, lift our broken cups before the Lord, He graciously repairs them and pours into them until they are overflowing. He fills them until it's not the former cracks or even the cup itself that can be seen but rather His love pouring over the edges.
"I thirst for You, Jesus, fill me up!"
<>< Katie
Lyrics from "Make Me Whole" and "Abba, I Belong to You" by Peder Eide.
Showing posts with label filled. Show all posts
Showing posts with label filled. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Road Map
God spoke to me in science the other day... it was really weird (even for me)... I have to think about it some more before I can tell you about it... instead, I heard this today.
Personally, everytime I see a map, typically a weather map, I search for my home state. Usually it's not on there, but I still automatically look for it everytime. They say you've really moved when you stop watching the weather for your old home... I guess I haven't really moved yet.
Life is like a road map. Some people open it up and find where they want to go. Some people open it up and look at where they've been. Some people open it up and search for their current location. Some people can't even get the thing unfolded!
What do you look for when someone hands you the road map of life? The places you've been? Where you are currently? Where you want to go? Have you even managed to get the map open yet?
OK... Since I started typing the last paragraph God has told me something else to tell you... are you ready? It's a bit out there...
Sometime between when last semester ended and this semester started, Sam's Choice changed the bottle for their bottled water. How do I know that? I buy Sam's Choice while at school and didn't buy it all summer long... I think this new bottle is more economically friendly because it uses less plastic or something. I don't really know.
Anyway. This new bottle uses less plastic and therefore is thinner. When it's full, the bottle is firm. As the water disappears (and your body becomes more hydrated... yay water!) the bottle becomes less firm. It moves around very easily and doesn't keep it's solid structure. Once the water is gone, it's like you could pop it with your bare hands.
When we fill ourselves with Christ (or allow Him to fill us with Him, if you prefer), there's not much Satan can do to break us. But, little by little, if we allow him (Satan) to work at us and work at us and spend less time with Christ: we become more flimsy. If we try to exist, completely without Christ, like the empty bottle, it doesn't take much for the enemy to destory us.
Does that make sense?
Road maps and water bottles. I promise, the one from class is even more creative. :-)
<>< Katie
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11
Personally, everytime I see a map, typically a weather map, I search for my home state. Usually it's not on there, but I still automatically look for it everytime. They say you've really moved when you stop watching the weather for your old home... I guess I haven't really moved yet.
Life is like a road map. Some people open it up and find where they want to go. Some people open it up and look at where they've been. Some people open it up and search for their current location. Some people can't even get the thing unfolded!
What do you look for when someone hands you the road map of life? The places you've been? Where you are currently? Where you want to go? Have you even managed to get the map open yet?
OK... Since I started typing the last paragraph God has told me something else to tell you... are you ready? It's a bit out there...
Sometime between when last semester ended and this semester started, Sam's Choice changed the bottle for their bottled water. How do I know that? I buy Sam's Choice while at school and didn't buy it all summer long... I think this new bottle is more economically friendly because it uses less plastic or something. I don't really know.
Anyway. This new bottle uses less plastic and therefore is thinner. When it's full, the bottle is firm. As the water disappears (and your body becomes more hydrated... yay water!) the bottle becomes less firm. It moves around very easily and doesn't keep it's solid structure. Once the water is gone, it's like you could pop it with your bare hands.
When we fill ourselves with Christ (or allow Him to fill us with Him, if you prefer), there's not much Satan can do to break us. But, little by little, if we allow him (Satan) to work at us and work at us and spend less time with Christ: we become more flimsy. If we try to exist, completely without Christ, like the empty bottle, it doesn't take much for the enemy to destory us.
Does that make sense?
Road maps and water bottles. I promise, the one from class is even more creative. :-)
<>< Katie
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11
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