I don't know about you but there is something I just love about taking something that is otherwise worthless and turning into something special or usin' a little elbow grease on something dirty, then be able to stand back and admire the difference. So you'll understand my happiness when I tell you I finally got a bottle of silver polish and was, at long last, able to clean our silver properly, I never knew those old plates could shine so bright!As I was cleaning I was thinking(cause you know polishing is kind of a quiet "thinking" kind of job), watching the black tarnish build up on my rag, slowly revealing the hidden treasure that had been trapped beneath...and had the thought "you know, in G-d's eyes I am just like this piece of silver" I am tarnished and dirty - yes! But by G-d's great goodness have been claimed as His treasured possession. And through His work and instruction am being purged and sanctified.
In my humanness I can't see past the tarnish a lot of the time. I can't see the value that lies beneath all the mess. It seems like everyday I am faced with another part of me that I just can't stand. I think "Why!? Why can't I get this right?", cleaning that silver served as a gentle reminder that sanctification takes time, it's slow(but steady!) you can't rush it, after all, would you take a chisel to a priceless piece or ornately carved silver to remove the dirt and tarnish? No, I don't think so, it's a process - layer by layer.
Baruch HaShem! When I fail He is not condemning me so I should just be satisfied to admit it was stupid, move on and learn from the mess up, confident that my heavenly Father is busy at work making this rusty, dirty, tarnished, and otherwise questionable material into a vessel fit for noble use...I pray I will also remember to extend this grace to others as the Father does His work in them as well...reminding myself to look beyond the tarnish to see the gleaming treasure beneath just as He does. Lila tov and Shabbat Shalom
And how does He know that He's polishing? When he can see His image reflected perfectly upon the surface :)
ReplyDeleteA good polishing is never easy though. What you said about seeing a part of you that you just can't stand really resonated with me. I had been feeling that same frustration when I began to pray that the curtains would be pulled back and I'd be pruned and refined. And boy does He ever answer prayer! Especially when you find out that you aren't doing as well as you had hoped, it is humbling and, as the refiners fire often is, painful. Yet I was reminded of the words of Paul when he said,
"Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to the point of repentance" (2 Corinthians 7:9a TLV)
And of course I must thank the Father for the pain and silence the accuser of the brethren with the promises of the Scripture. Like you said, sanctification takes time... not only does that go against our instant-everything society, but personally I love to sprint ahead and run the race as fast as I can, when He is telling me to slow down, rest in His arms, be still, and know that he is G-d. It's not about me running ahead but surrendering to His wisdom, guidance, and plans that happen in His time and His way.
Anyway, I guess what I mean to say is, your post hit home. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed Shabbat!