Have this mind among yourselves,
which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was
in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of
a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:5-7 (ESV)
Take courage, for there must be a
consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your
emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down
is but the making ready for your lifting up.” – Charles Spurgeon
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| Would you consider lending your hands, hearts and spirits to my Soul Food Buffet? |
I
must learn and remember to choose not to let things, people, attitudes (my own
or others) get between me and opportunities to be a vessel.
“Surrender.
The solid realization that just because you can doesn’t mean you
should...Surrender. Knowing that just letting go means now you can just hold
on. Hold to His Hand, unchanging.” Okay, I let go (I’m
letting go. I’m trying. Really…) Now what?
Now I must learn and remember
to stay empty. I must learn and remember to choose not to let things, let
people, let attitudes (my own, or those of others) get between me and my
opportunities to be the vessel.
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being
filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.”
Despite what your natural fear is telling you, emptiness is not where you will
remain. It’s trash day, not the beginning of your destruction. Just breathe. We’re going to get through this together.
This morning, while
walking the dog, I breathed differently. I had earlier allowed myself some
peace time to meditate, pray, be with myself while my body was at rest. It was
a good thing. It gave me time to order my thoughts, order my steps, and order
my day. I prayerfully set an intention for the day…surrender and stay there. I
occasionally find this place in my soul, but what about staying there? What
about identifying this place as my place of rest…home? What might I achieve if
resting in surrender was where I started each day?
Today I’m issuing a
challenge, a call to action. I’m staying empty, or at least, as a first step,
pledging not to fill up. I don’t want too much of me if it means less of You,
Lord. Want to join me? As I prepare to celebrate my 200th blog post, I’m
interested to know what fills your soul, so I’m throwing a virtual dinner
party, and I’d like you to help me fill the buffet. Would you consider lending your hands, hearts
and spirits to my Soul Food Buffet? Welcome to the “Soul Food…A Divine
Inspiration-Nourishment for Mind, Body and Spirit” link up.
I
don’t much care what you link, as long as it’s respectful and blesses readers
in mind, body, and spirit. I’m
challenging myself to write AND include a recipe, but even recipes may take
many forms. I have participated in
numerous link ups, and pray that every participant will lend their unique gifts
to making this a feasting table with abundance overflowing. I’ve said Grace. It’s time to feast!
If you would, please let your readers
know you’ve helped cover the buffet table my including a link in your post;
grabbing and sharing my “Soul Food” (or my blog) button. The link-up, assuming
I can figure it out, will go live in 4 days (or four posts). Blogging has
brought me many new friends, taught me many new things, and reminded me over
and over that my cup is never empty. Knowing that you'll share my celebration
is a powerful reminder that God is good.
