Necessary Tension

A trivial fascination of mine is the simplicity and necessity of springs. Some pull, some push. They continually surprise me in the discovery of how microscopic or mammoth they can be—of how critical they are to the function of everything from door latch to DVD player.

Their purpose is to provide necessary tension. If constantly at tension, they cease to be functional. If never at tension, they fail to serve their purpose.

For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.
~ Psalms 66:10-12 (NKJV)

Though God's refinement and washing bring new opportunities for rich fulfillment, they also bring the necessary tension of being stretched and pressed.

If we're constantly at tension, we flirt with dysfunction. But if never at tension, we've little opportunity to fulfill our purpose:

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
~ Psalms 66:16 (NKJV)

Lord, how thankful I am that Your wisdom rather than our comfort decides when and how necessary tension enters our lives. Please make us faithful to fulfill our purpose. Please open our souls to receive refinement and washing, and to realize true fulfillment.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

No Off Switch

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
~ Psalms 62:8 (NKJV)

If you're reading these words, you likely 'trust in Him' with some measure—you are not ignorant of faith in God. If you're reading these words, you also remain an inhabitant of Earth, and your faith is not yet perfected.

We dwell in this place between faith and fear, between Heaven and Hell, between Light and Darkness. At any given moment, either side may confront us and command our attention.

Trust in Him at all times ...

We cannot afford to trust in Him at some times—
▲ not just when life is smooth and we find time to think on Him;
▼ not just when life is rough and we call Him for help;
◄ not just when we think to share Him with others;
► not just when places and people of God draw our attention to Him.

Though we remain inhabitants of Earth and it fills our senses, God is the refuge where our minds and hearts must dwell at all times.

There is no off switch for the faith which trusts in the unseen.

Lord, we are all ADD down here. There are so many distractions. Please help us! Please call out to us, and help us look to You, trust in You, and dwell in You—at all times.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

All the Way to the End

He likes meat and potatoes with plenty of plain butter.
I like ethnic food with plenty of kick.

He searches out still waters good for fishing.
I tend to stir up waters in search of adventure.

He's the firearms and ammo expert sought out for advice.
I brandish the Sword of the Lord to flash its Light.

He'd be a golden retriever, steady and faithful.
I'd be an eagle, soaring and plunging.

We would not be the same without each other, this Polish-French-Canadian and his German-Irish-Hispanic-Native American bride. We need each other to be who God means us to be.

I lied to him about why I took our son to Grandma's, robbed him of the cell phone his office rings at all hours, and compelled him to drive the kidnaper's getaway car. All was not as it seemed for his birthday celebration.

In between the perfect dinner at a lodge and romance at a bed and breakfast, we walked along the break wall on Lake Huron. Winter ice still spills over it, and we reached a point all but blocked.

He eyed icy waters 15 (20?) feet below and my high-heeled boots. Far enough? he asked. I said let's keep going. I deftly stepped along the edge. He climbed across ice I didn't want to touch.

And then we walked all the way to the end.

The end of a thing is better than its beginning.
~ Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NKJV)

He is holy and clothed in majesty.
We are sinful and clothed in dust.

His is all manner of love and mercy.
We are all manner of apathy and judgment.

He is purest truth, as solid as a rock.
We walk in a world where no ground is sure.

He shows favor and grace in every way to defy explanation.
We struggle to even receive it, let alone pass it on.

He'd never be the same without us, for we are His masterpiece through which His every attribute is displayed. We need each other, this God and the bride He is sculpting, for we can only be all we are meant to be if we are together.

All is not as it seems. He sees the end from the beginning, and reveals only as much as we need to know until He unveils His surprises.

And He walks us all the way to the end.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven ...
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also He has put eternity in their hearts,
except that no one can find out
the work that God does from beginning to end.
~ Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 (NKJV)

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: How Long Does Temptation Knock?

Photo credit: Preston Bezant

How long were Adam and Eve in the garden before she took that fatal bite? Was the serpent whispering in her ear a long time?
~ Lori

The key question here, which applies to all of us, is how long might temptation knock?

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
~ James 4:7 (NKJV)

The remainder of my answer appears at Bullets & Butterflies.

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What questions do you have about Christianity or the Bible? You're invited to leave them in the comments below (anonymous questions welcome), or email buildingHisbody [plus] @ gmail.com.

© 2011 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Wiped

"Beach Wash"

Photo credit: Darius Goins

Piercing pain to my heart
Darkness that does not depart
How this wound from one who says 'love'?
Why this assault allowed from above?

Offender shall not be called 'foe'
With blessing shall curse be told 'go!'
To malice hands of good open wide
Spite shall bring prayer to on high.

Hope is yet strangled by tears
Where lurks the debt in arrears?
Ponder long—what offering could pay?
There is none—save debt wiped away.

Perfect peace in my heart
Light that shall not depart
How this gift for one flawed in love?
Why this grace to dust from above?

░ ♥ ░

"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."
~ John 9:15 (NKJV)

░ † ░

Today I achieve my goal to join High Calling's "Random Acts of Poetry." This month's challenge is "Forgiveness."

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.