Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Watermelons and Old Sayings

I was just cutting a watermelon in my kitchen.  As I cut the first slice, I snitched a piece.  It was...okay.

Hmm...maybe the next watermelon will be sweeter.  It's early in the season yet.

But...as I learned as a child...waste not, want not.  So, I kept cutting.

Inevitably (for me, at least...perhaps you have more willpower), I snitched another piece farther into the watermelon.

It was...incredibly sweet!

Remember another old saying...don't judge a book by its cover?

I was introduced to a friend's husband recently in this way:  This is Liz.  Remember, she is the one I told you about, the widow who homeschools her four sons?

Now, I'm not poking at this dear friend -- love her to pieces!  And all she said is true...that is my reality, and consumes a large part of my waking hours.

But it does not define all of me...

Another old saying...peel an onion, there are a lot of layers.

Who am I down in my core, the part that only God sees?

I guess maybe I see a difference between my reality and what defines me...maybe I am only seeing that difference as I write this post. 

I am a child of the King.  I struggle, I fail, I fall, I get up.  But I love God and He loves me, and that is enough. 

It does not give me permission to quit, but it does give me grace when I fail.

And that grace is...incredibly sweet!

So I will continue to operate in my reality of widowhood -- a reality that is not always sweet but can be just okay; a reality that people see and will define me by whether I am only that or not.

And I will pray for the opportunity to show them the inner me...the me forever touched by grace.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18


2 comments:

  1. Hmmm.... Last summer when it was my turn to introduce you to my husband I remember telling him that you were the amazing youth leader who made a positive impact on me during my teen years. Although I knew you were widowed and homeschooling your boys, there is so much more to know about you! I am so thankul that we are linked up on FB because through my adulthood I am still very touched by how you live your life seeking God in everything. Also, I am continuing to learn more about God's grace and love through your blogs! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your journey! Love, Holly

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  2. That's sweet, Hol! So glad we have reconnected, too. It was not you, but that doesn't really matter. Love you even if it was! xoxoxo

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