Beautiful Baubles

 

I finally packed my Christmas Tree away yesterday! Every year I find myself almost reluctant to do it as it makes the end of my holidays more of a reality, more final – time seems to speed up once the tree has gone and before I know it I’m back at work!

This year as I looked down at the tub with the baubles and other decorations in it I thought how pretty they looked but how that was nowhere near as beautiful as they had looked on full display, out of the tub on the tree! And that’s when I felt a blog coming on ….

It got me thinking of the “pretty baubles” in my personality, the talents and other “beautiful places” in my life and heart, those things that make me uniquely me! Those qualities that God Himself has placed in me!

How often do I (and how willing am I to) bring these out of ‘the tub’ and put them on full display, put them to work for the benefit of others? This sentence from Graham Cooke really struck me when I read it; consider it in light of what I’ve just said in terms of stepping up, bringing out your God given gifts and talents for the purpose of  getting alongside others to help them to stand and to grow:

“We learn that we are a general gift to many and a specific gift to some. “

God designed you and I On Purpose for a very Specific Purpose! I know that I far too often have plenty of excuses for keeping my “beautiful baubles” inside myself, in “the tub” so to speak! I am a mastermind at justifying to myself (and to God) why I cannot step up and step out! (Now if  He’d only just realise and start listening to all my ‘excellent, logical’ reasons as to why I can’t or as to why I’m just not ready, not capable blah, blah, blah.)

Without meaning to sound arrogant, it’s not just others that I rob by not stepping out to be and do what I’ve been called to do, both alongside them and at times for them, but it’s myself as well. Did you notice the butterfly in the tub? How liberated and free would I feel if I was stretching my wings fully and flying instead of living cramped in a ‘tub’ (usually by my own choice)! 

As I was thinking about this I recalled a quote from “Captivating” that really struck me a few years back when I first read it:

“Then the time came when the risk it took

  To remain tight in a bud was more painful

  Than the risk it took to blossom. “(Anais Nin)

Earlier this week whilst reading  “Lioness Arising” another sentence jumped out at me:

“But the lionesses did not move outside their enclosure until their hunger exceeded their desire to be safe.”

Both of these quotes, far more eloquently than I could, put into words the thoughts and impressions I had when I looked at the beautiful contents of my ‘tree tub”.

So really, I am left stripped of excuses and justifications for why I cannot fully display what God has put inside of me, both (and most importantly)to bring Him glory and to point to Jesus as well as for the benefit of whomever He puts in my life. 

David and I (okay mainly David!) were cleaning the other day. I pulled out a little “strongbox” that we store important papers etc. in and I found a beautiful wooden pen that we got whilst living in the UK. I had put it in that box before we left to come to Australia and there it had sat for the eight and a half years that we’ve been here! I tried to write with it but found that it no longer worked. Needless to say it was relegated to the “rubbish” pile.  That got me thinking ……

But you can work that one out for yourselves so I’ll stop here.

PS Apologies to Stacey whom I later found out was given the pen by David who did not realise that “that was the rubbish pile”!!

Carolyn xxx