Sitting on the patio early this morning, I was basking in the warmth of early spring weather. Stars twinkling and seemingly only moments later deep darkness paled to royal and periwinkle hues as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon.
Calm air. Birds chirping. Sprinklers irrigating the landscape.
A warm mug cupped in my hands, my heart absorbed and celebrated the sweet promise of a new day.
I closed my eyes and smiled in thankfulness to The Creator of this glorious morning.
My ears captured the sound of our pup’s little paws pressing through the grass, as he sniffed out what may have ventured into the yard through the night.
I listened. Carefully, I listened.
Drinking in the aroma of wet grass, I opened my eyes to sip the dark umber brew of well-roasted Brazilian beans.
The sky grew lighter and the hum of nearby motorists became more prevalent. Without warning, I was apprehended by the realization I was keenly focusing my attention to extract the sounds of nature from the drone of commuter traffic.
My thoughts turned to a Bible scripture I recently read in Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because he wept over the sins of his people. It saddened him to consistently deliver to the people of Israel the news of God’s impending judgement as the result of their sins.
In one of his seasons of discouragement Jeremiah grumbled to the Lord, declaring God was like a dry brook. This was only a short time after he had proclaimed the Lord was a fountain of living water. Jeremiah’s emotions were like ocean waves rising and falling, sailing his words.
God responded with a reprimand for Jeremiah, instructing him to “extract the priceless from the worthless.” If Jeremiah would be obedient in this, God would restore him as His spokesperson.
Extract the priceless from the worthless …
God was counseling Jeremiah about his speech because Jeremiah’s ability to communicate God’s message to Israel was the purpose for which God had created, ordained and called him.
How often do we have to sift through distraction of emotions to find the golden moments of God’s purpose for our lives? All manner of distractions are the “worthless” for us.
When we learn to extract the GOOD from the okay and more so, the BEST from the good, we are enabled hold the best and let go of what is of little value.
How difficult it is to let go.
We often want to clutch tightly to something because we know it. It is familiar, comfortable. However, when we solidly grasp something we need to release, we lose; even when it is a good thing, something we love. And, others are negatively effected by our decision to tighten the grip.
Recently, the Lord led me to release a piece of my life; what was a God-given, God-ordained focus. It was a truly difficult decision to say “yes” to Him. This thing involved a slice of who I am, a piece of the essence of what makes me, me.
Still, I knew by the Lord’s prodding, I needed to redirect my steps.
Extraction!
Painful release! Agony. A moment of guilt. Relief of stress. Sadness of good-bye. Freedom to grow. Hope of the dawn of newness. Tears often still adorn my cheeks as I say good-bye to a fragment of my life, at least in that particular capacity. Feelings.
Feelings, just as in Jeremiah’s dismay, fleet through our hearts passing to and fro, tossing us around the vortex of their whirlwind, randomly dropping us to recover from the dizziness.
Feelings cannot dictate right and wrong. They merely respond to the circumstances around us and to the decisions we make. We make the choice of how to respond, in word and deed, to those feelings.
Change is difficult even when it is RIGHT …
… and change can bring growth, when we choose to grow.
When we listen to the voice of our Creator we can be assured He speaks for our good. God’s words to Jeremiah were to convict, not to condemn. He wanted Jeremiah to be aware of his fault and repent from it, to give up what he was doing wrong so he could fulfill what God called him to do.
Growth brings change. Rather than run from it, choose to become more.
Remaining the same will not bring the desired results of successful living. Jeremiah heeded the words from the Lord and chose to change, to extract the priceless from the worthless, to allow his heart to be renewed in God’s love and kindness. We can do the same.
Become. Become what God has purposed as your destiny by enduring the extraction of the worthless, leaving it behind, and treasuring the priceless. Your destiny awaits.