One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Voskamp Ann

Author:Voskamp, Ann [Voskamp, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780310412359
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2011-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

If there are wolves in the woods—expect to see wolves; and if there is God in this place—expect to see God.

Can I be so audacious? To expect to see God in these faces when I am the blasphemer who complains, who doesn’t acknowledge this moment for Who it is?

“Do you even care what he did to me first?” Future-man is standing now, hands stuffed hard into pockets, glowering. His stack of toast is growing cold.

I should want to care, and I try to will myself, but I’m hard, so tired. I turn away. See, somehow I’ve got to see, got to feel.

How did Jesus do it again? He turned His eyes. “And looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave …” (Matthew 14:19 NIV). He looked up to heaven, to see where this moment comes from. Always first the eyes, the focus. I can’t leave crowds for mountaintop, daily blur for Walden Pond—but there’s always the possibility of the singular vision. I remember: Contemplative simplicity isn’t a matter of circumstances; it’s a matter of focus.

One boy is turned, shaking his head, angry, at the window, the world; the other is eating another slice of toast, defiant. I take a deep breath, say nothing to them, but I look up to heaven and I speak it to Him here because there are wolves in the woods and there is God in this place and I haven’t done this before and it feels strange but I give thanks aloud, in a whisper: “Father, thank You for these two sons. Thank You for here and now. Thank You that You don’t leave us in our mess.” My heart rate slows. Something hard inside softens, opens, and this thanks aloud feels mechanical. But I can feel the heart gears working. “Thank You for toast. Thank You for cross-grace for this anger, for the hope of forgiveness and brothers and new mercies.” I look for the ugly beautiful, count it as grace, transfigure the mess into joy with thanks and eucharisteo leaves the paper, finds way to the eyes, the lips. This, this is what Annie Dillard meant:

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.