“I have hidden Your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.”
Psalm 119:11
Let’s just say we were having a teachable moment. A very teachable moment.
Knowing that the only true transformation of our all of our hearts will come solely through God’s love, grace and truth, I asked our children to go to their rooms and read Proverbs 6:16-19. It’s a tough but necessary passage of scripture. It’s convicting. It’s a Hebrews 4:12 kind of verse: “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Attitudes of the heart. We’ve all got them. And attitudes under our roof that day needed some fixin’.
So as I asked our children to go read this passage that had been ministering to my own heart. As they did, I asked the Lord to penetrate their hearts with His truth, love and grace. And I sat down to re-read the passage myself.
“There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to Him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies,
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”
Tough, necessary truths of scripture.
When they were done their unexpected quiet time, I asked our children which part of the passage popped out to them, and I was grateful for God’s faithfulness in meeting each of them personally in His Word.
A little while later, Gabrielle came to me and said, “Mom, will you frame this for me? I made it after you had us read Proverbs 6. I always want to remember the things the Lord hates. I never want to forget. I would like to have this framed for my room so I remember.”
Jaw-dropping praise from this momma’s heart to God! He had given Gabrielle the softness of heart, the courage and the wisdom to want to frame His Word…His challenging and convicting Word…in her heart and mind.
I am so grateful for the promises and comforts of God’s Word…our go-to scriptures when we need encouragement and reassurance. And I am equally thankful for (though sometimes less inclined to go to them as readily) the soul-dividing passages that keep us on the narrow road that leads to life. The ones that prick and judge the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts.
We tend to frame the comfortable scriptures in our homes and in our hearts. Isn’t that just like us? We frame the prettiest pictures that make us look and feel good, and we easily ignore and discard the others.
But through the courage, humility and wisdom of my daughter’s heart, God reminded me that our greatest life lessons are often found in the places, pictures and passages that aren’t so comfortable or pretty. But if we choose to frame them and remember them, He makes masterpieces.
I wouldn’t naturally choose to frame the difficult and painful times of life to commemorate the seasons or put them on display. Yet my daughter’s sweet artwork gently and poignantly reminded me that often God is doing His most beautiful craftsmanship in our hearts during the tough passages, the not-so-flattering and the oh-so-humbling times in our lives.
Framing the tough passages of truth. Framing the artwork He is creating in my heart by seeing truths of scripture alive in my own life, whether consequences of my own actions or someone else’s. I want the courage to frame the hard stuff, even if I am the only one to see it in the private places I share with Him.
Framing difficult passages of scripture and life…
Framing difficult passages of scripture and life…
{HUMILITY. COURAGE. WISDOM.}
