A Thin Place For Me - Now I See
I never knew I was blind considering I could see. Guilt, stolen innocence, and abandonment defined me. No one knew I held secrets. Very few saw what I did and no one, not even my husband, knew the real me.
“We’re starting a bible study if you’re interested.”
Interested? Me? Not in the least. I was raised in the church. Raised and rejected. I was done with God! I feared He knew my secrets. I believed He was watching and waiting to get me. Clearly this was not for me.
I still don’t know why I went. I’m sure it was to stay in the inviter’s good graces. The grace, however, was for me.
Love, they exuded it, I wanted it! Never had I desired something more. How could I get it? I wasn’t worth it. And yet I was.
One simple prayer of repentance and acceptance of Christ transformed my life. The prayer seeped from my heart and out my lips; the weight of my past fell away. I was transformed but I held one old friend, bitterness.
I learned the only way to get rid of it is to give it to God, forgive, and let go. I knelt and gave. Unexpectedly when I opened my eyes I realized I could see. I never knew the world had been painted with various shades of color. I was awestruck by God’s handiwork. I had been blind! The thought came as I soaked in the landscape.
Remembering I was blind, thankful to see, that’s a thin place for me.
“We’re starting a bible study if you’re interested.”
Interested? Me? Not in the least. I was raised in the church. Raised and rejected. I was done with God! I feared He knew my secrets. I believed He was watching and waiting to get me. Clearly this was not for me.
I still don’t know why I went. I’m sure it was to stay in the inviter’s good graces. The grace, however, was for me.
Love, they exuded it, I wanted it! Never had I desired something more. How could I get it? I wasn’t worth it. And yet I was.
One simple prayer of repentance and acceptance of Christ transformed my life. The prayer seeped from my heart and out my lips; the weight of my past fell away. I was transformed but I held one old friend, bitterness.
I learned the only way to get rid of it is to give it to God, forgive, and let go. I knelt and gave. Unexpectedly when I opened my eyes I realized I could see. I never knew the world had been painted with various shades of color. I was awestruck by God’s handiwork. I had been blind! The thought came as I soaked in the landscape.
Remembering I was blind, thankful to see, that’s a thin place for me.
Beautiful post. Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary! I appreciate the challenge and the opportunity to dip a slight toe in the water.
ReplyDeleteThe post you see above was my entry to win a Kindle based upon Mary DeMuth's newest book, "Thin Places." To enter you had to write a 259 word essay (the cost of a Kindle) on a thin place in your life. I didn't win and I'm perfectly content with the outcome.
ReplyDeleteI loved Mary's memoir and the way she leads readers through her places of hurt gaining healing as she progressed deeper into the arms of her Savior.
Still, you may be asking, what exactly is a Thin Place?
According to Mary thin places "are those times where the division between this world and the eternal fades; they are snatches of holy ground, tucked into the corners of our world, where we might just catch a glimpse of eternity." In essence, it's where you meet God while still breathing here on earth.
I have many thin places. My own experiences of God becoming a salve, covering wounds. Where He has transformed my thinking, my desires and all of who I am today.
My entry below comes from the moment I learned the joy of forgiving and letting go of bitterness. It was a challenge to put this time into only 259 words. I won't say it's even close to my best work but it was good to take the challenge and see what I could do. My hope is to pen my own journey and allow God to use it for His glory, much as He is doing with Mary's story.
I challenge to you to read Mary's book and awaken or revisit your own Thin Places.
Wow, Marlo! I read your anniversary entry and then this one. Your husband is blessed to have you by his side and the joy you share in the Lord is a great example. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan!
ReplyDelete