Masterpiece

The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.  ~ Psalm 45:11 (NIV)

    

     I was disappointed. Due to a misunderstanding, we weren’t allowed in to our scheduled tour of the Supreme Court. Since the bus had already pulled away, we were at a loss until someone pointed out The Library of Congress and suggested we take that tour instead.

     Oh, brother, I moaned to myself, how exciting could that be?

     I love books and libraries more than most people, but this was my first trip to our nation’s capitol. I didn’t want to spend it in a dusty old library. As we entered the nondescript hallway, I wasn’t the least bit curious.

     The drab hallway opened into a magnificent Great Hall of marble. Soaring arched ceilings were supported by grand columns and covered in elaborate murals. I gasped. I’d never seen anything like this. The only thing comparable would have been the luxurious castles in Europe, but this wasn’t stuffy or cold. It was awe inspiring. The paintings, sculptures and architecture were incredible.

     Beautiful quotes and scriptures adorned almost every wall. My heart almost burst as I tried to take it in. Every room was spectacular – my senses came alive. I dared not miss anything.

     The climax of our tour was the Main Reading Room. As I stared at the bronze figures surrounding the balcony, I recognized several names - most notably Moses and Paul. In the heart of this magnificent library were two great men of the Bible. I stood in awe. Our founding fathers knew where to look for instruction and duty. It filled me with hope knowing our government was not derived from the musings of man, but the unshakable Word of God.

      I was grateful for the artists, architects and builders who brought this work of art to fruition. This awesome legacy was left not only to their families, but our nation’s children as well.

     As I left the building, I had a fresh perspective. From the outside, it looked stately, not unlike many buildings in Washington. I thought of my own Christian faith, viewed similar to that building by many, seeming dry and dusty. Our perspective changes once we accept Jesus. We see the beauty that abides within Him and long to absorb it all. I can never view my faith as dull because I know the Architect. Through His great love we are recognized as His masterpiece. Amazingly, God considers us more beautiful than any work of art in the Library of Congress. Do others see us as dry and dusty, or His divine inspiration? 

Do It Scared

Today is the first post for my new blog. I've never done anything like this before, so I've been intimidated to begin posting my thoughts for all to see. Each day when I log on, my blog tells me I haven't posted anything yet. This morning as I sat at my computer, I began procrastinating as I noticed the post button taunting me once again. Looking through some papers I had printed for safekeeping, one in particular jumped out at me and I began reading.

 It was the Clifton Strengthsfinder assessment. This is a test developed by The Gallup Organization which detects your dominant strengths and behaviors, or signature themes as they put it, in order to better yourself in your area of strengths. As I read my top five I was amazed how accurate this test is. My number one behavior is Input, meaning I am inquisitive and like to collect things, such as information, quotes, books, etc. From there it went to Belief, Responsibility, Focus and Communication. I do have a strong belief system and am dependable, almost to a fault sometimes. I am also goal oriented and love to communicate by bringing things to life for others.           

All of the descriptions were spot-on. As I pondered this I happened to looked at the date, October 1, 2008. Exactly four years ago today I took that assessment. I don't think it's a coincidence I noticed that date today. I've been struggling with this calling to speak and write for a little over one year now. As I've taken steps to learn the craft and delve into the tasks required to launch this ministry I am completely overwhelmed. I'll admit it. This whole thing scares me to death. I keep telling God I'm not a writer or a speaker, I'm an architect. And then He shows me at my greatest point of weakness where my strengths lie. He knew what He was doing when He created me: I love to collect words; what I do in life must be meaningful; I feel bound to follow things through to completion; I constantly make lists in order to focus; I strive to communicate in such a way as to inspire others.     

As I look over this list, I am humbled to see these are qualities of a good writer and speaker. God has been preparing me all along for this journey. I feel as ill-equipped as Moses pointing out to God He must have the wrong guy (or girl). But God is insulted when we don't believe Him. We are not fulfilling our purpose when we tell God we aren't capable and refuse to follow His will. He knows how incapable we are. That's the point. We cannot do this without Him. But He has and will equip us for whatever  He calls us to do. We must learn to trust and obey, even if we have to do it scared. After all, God really does know what He's doing.

Have a blessed day~ Carol

 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  ~Isaiah 41:10              

If you are interested in finding your own strengths, check out the book Strength's Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath and use the online access code to take the assessment