Sharpening

I do not often think that I, a small, smooshy woman, a girly-girl through and through, am anything like gold, or silver, or iron.  But God sees me otherwise. 

God tells me I will go through fire to be refined like gold.  I have certainly had fiery times in my life, and those hot days have, indeed, proven to be refining. 

He tells me I am more precious than silver.

What's more, he tells me I am sharp.  And I can be sharpened.  By His Word, yes.  And by His people.  Fellowship.  I can be sharpened by others as iron is sharpened by iron.  When I am sharpened, I am more what He made me to be.  I become deeper in my understanding of His will, His presence, and His design for my life. 

I spend so many days - literally whole weeks sometimes - without interaction with anyone outside my immediate family.  And I don't notice the gradual thickening of the air around me.  Then, when I have an opportunity to encourage and be encouraged, I take big deep breaths of cool, fresh air.

And I remember.

I am not made to be lonely.  I am made to both sharpen and be sharpened. 

My husband, with his big brain and loving arms does not allow me to breath air too thick, to be sheltered too long, to be unused or to go on unsharpened.  He knows.  And he also sharpens and needs sharpened.  We are not made to be alone for very long. 

God created us to be in communion with one another.   Isn't that a breath of fresh air?

Family is a Funny Thing...

Family is a funny thing.  We love each other, but we drive each other nuts.  Friendships are like this, too, when they change from friendliness to familiness.  I guess it's the nature of people who love one another to irk one another. 

The celebration of Christ's birth is just 2 days away, leaving us left to think about family - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I love my family.  Each member of my close and extended family has such wonderful qualities - many of which I strive on a daily basis to attain.  I can honestly say that there is not a single family member whom I dread to be near, nor any with whom I anticipate a debate.  My family is civil, kind, and genuinely interested in one another.  But... 

But sometimes we get selfish. 

Sometimes we can't see the blessings because our eyes are closed in pain as our toes are getting stepped on.  Toe pain is not the end of the world, and many blessings are before us, but we refuse to see.  We cry out in selfish pain, "Why aren't you attending to ME?!"  The answer?  "Because we were having too much fun to notice your toes...  We're so sorry!"  But sometimes a person hurting is closing his eyes and shouting too loudly too hear the apology or join in the merry making.

It's our job as co-family-members to be sensitive to one another's needs, yet to be not-so-sensitive of our own unmet desires.  Like in every other situation in life, if we become self-centered, nothing will go well. 

There are struggles climbing out of our own selfish pit, and sometimes we get scraped up and bruised climbing out.  But I'm convinced that the end result will be so very worth it!  At the top of that pit lives Peace, Joy, Contentment, and Merry Making!

So I challenge you this holiday season, at the celebration of the Greatest Gift God Ever Gave:  Give of yourself, and think not of your own desires.  When your toes are sore and aching from heavy feet above, open your eyes and think not of the pain you feel, but of the laughter all around you, of the party to come, of the blessings.  Do not cry out in pain, for you may miss the merriment.

Laugh.  Smile.  Soak in the blessings.

Welcome to the Web!

Snow covers the ground, roadways are precarious, and trees in homes across the countryside and cityscape alike sparkle in the night.  It's just days before we celebrate the beautiful, yet ordinary, birth of our Savior, and I just recieved a fabulous gift of my own.  At long last, my wonderful husband has helped me to start my very own blog.  (I'm so thankful I married someone who speaks geek!) 

I have wished for so long to have this outlet to share my wisdom and my wonderings, this beautiful connection with anyone who cares to share it with me.  Now it is mine.  And I look forward to sharing it with you...  Welcome to the Web, dandelion dreamer!