Tuesday, November 20, 2020
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Our Shimmering Self
Frederick Buechner in his book Telling Secrets makes a rather interesting statement:
[Our] original shimmering self gets buried so deep we hardly live out
of it at all… rather, we learn to live out of all the other selves whom we
are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world's weather.
of it at all… rather, we learn to live out of all the other selves whom we
are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world's weather.
What an interesting imagery and thought. Can you imagine becoming aware one day that you have lost touch with your heart (your Shimmering Self) and with it the very uniqueness of your life and God’s purpose and presence?
Starting very early, life seems to teach all of us to ignore and distrust the deepest yearnings of our heart. Life, for the most part, teaches us to suppress our longings and live only in the external world where efficiency and performance are everything. We have learned from parents and peers, at school, at work, and even from our spiritual mentors that something else is wanted from us than our heart; which is to say, there is little interest in that which is most deeply us.
Very seldom are we ever invited to live out of our heart. If we are wanted, we are usually wanted for what we can offer functionally. If rich, we are honored for our wealth; if beautiful, for our looks; if intelligent, for our brains. So we learn to offer only those parts of us that are approved while living out a carefully crafted performance to gain acceptance from those who represent life to us. We divorce ourselves from our heart and begin to live a double life.
In losing our shimmering self, we can lose touch with God’s specific will and direction for our lives. Forgetting who God has made us to be, we can become caught up in all that we are supposed to be. Trying to accommodate what others expect us to be, we can completely lose ourselves... especially that shimmering part.
It is sometimes easy to stifle, suppress, and hide the very soul of our beings; those deep inner feelings and thoughts that display the very special person God made us to be. We are His workmanship. He made us each unique and distinct with very special destinies.
Remember the children’s song, This Little Light of Mine? He did not light our fire to have us put it under a bushel or let Satan blow it out. He wants us to shimmer for Him! He wants us to be free and unbridled in our journey through His will for our life. Keep your heart for God exposed. Trust Him and find approval from Him on who you are. Be the person He made you and don’t hide your true shimmering self any longer.
