Ryu2.mind

Words that have proven powerful in speaking to me before, and now come once again to me and my life:

...There can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is oneof the most harmful habits in the life. Because it is so natural it israrely recognized for the evil that it is; but its outworkings are tragic.We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the L outof fear for their safety; this is especially true when those treasuresare loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears.Our L came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe whichwe commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not socommitted.

Let us never forget that such a truth as this cannot be learned byrote as one would learn the facts of physical science. They must beexperienced before we can really know them. We must in ourhearts live through Abraham's harsh and bitter experiences if wewould know the blessedness which follows them. The ancient cursewill not go out painlessly; the tough old miser within us will not liedown and die obedient to our command. He must be torn out of ourheart like a plant from the soil; he must be extracted in agony andblood like a tooth from the jaw. He must be expelled from our soulby violence as C expelled the money changers from the temple.And we shall need to steel ourselves against his piteous begging,and to recognize it as springing out of self-pity, one of the mostreprehensible sins of the human heart.

If we would indeed know G in growing intimacy we must go thisway of renunciation. And if we are set upon the pursuit of G Hewill sooner or later bring us to this test. Abraham's testing was, at thetime, not known to him as such, yet if he had taken some courseother than the one he did, the whole history of the Old Testamentwould have been different. G would have found His man, nodoubt, but the loss to Abraham would have been tragic beyond thetelling. So we will be brought one by one to the testing place, and wemay never know when we are there. At that testing place there willbe no dozen possible choices for us; just one and an alternative, butour whole future will be conditioned by the choice we make.

-- A. W. Tozer

In many ways, my journey that ultimately brought me back to thisland long-term was an Abraham experience.  And likewise, I am nowalso reminded that it won't be the only one.

Thank You for burdens lifted... and for uncertainty turning into joyat newly regained freedom for our hearts to once again pursuewholeheartedly what is most important. =)