Relinquishment for Spiritual Growth

I have been very blessed and encouraged as I have been reading Elisabeth Elliot's book, Passion and Purity.  This section really stood out to me last night.

The growth of all living green things wonderfully represents the process of receiving and relinquishing, gaining and losing, living and dying.  The seed falls into the ground, dies as the new shoot springs up.  There must be a splitting and a breaking in order for the bud to form.  The bud “lets go” when the flower forms.  The calyx lets go of the flower.  The petals must curl up and die in order for the fruit to form.  The fruit falls, splits, relinquishes the seed.  The seed falls into the ground…

There is no onging spiritual life without this process of letting go.  At the precise point where we refuse, growth stops.  If we hold tightly to anything given to us, unwilling to let it go when the time comes to let it go or unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used, we stunt the growth of the soul.

It is easy to make a mistake here.  “If God gave it to me,” we say, “it’s mine.  I can do what I want with it.”  No.  The truth is that it is ours to thank Him for and ours to offer back to Him, ours to relinquish, ours to lose, ours to let go of—if we want to find our true selves, if we want real Life, if our hearts are set on glory.

Think of the self that God has given as an acorn.  It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional.  Think of the grand glory of an oak tree.  Gods intention for us is, “…the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure, many letting-goes.  When you look at the oak tree, you don’t feel that the “loss” of the acorn is a very great loss.  The more you perceive God’s purpose in your life, the less terrible will the losses seem.

There must be relinquishment.  There is no way around it.  The seed does not “know” what will happen.  It only knows what is happening—the falling, the darkness, the dying.  Lilias Trotter wrote those profound words quoted earlier: “The first step into the realm of giving is…not manward but Godward: an utter yielding of our best.  So long as our idea of surrender is limited to the renouncing of unlawful things, we have never grasped its true meaning: that is not worthy of the name for ‘no polluted thing’ can be offered.”

~Brittany

"The disposition... to leave the dearest objects of our hearts in the sublime keeping of the general and unspecific belief that God is now answering our prayers in His own time and way, and in the best manner, involves a present process of inward crucifixion which is obviously unfavorable to the growth and even the existence of the life of self."

- T.C.Upham, Inward Divine Guidance -

~ taken from Elisabeth Elliot's book Passion and Purity ~

~Brittany

Newest Family Photo

A picture is truly worth at least a thousand words. But if I had to sum up this picture in one, it would definitely be LOVE.  The next word that comes to my mind is BLESSED.  A family represents so many memories that are built together, so much growth and so many hopes and dreams to which we each have the privilege of sharing together.  What a precious and sweet thought to know that, Lord willing, our next family photo will include a very precious young lady right beside our son.  Thus the LOVE, BLESSINGS, MEMORIES, GROWTH, HOPES and DREAMS shall continue on.

Family is such a wonderful thing!

Love you all so very much!

~Brittany

~Brittany

Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will?

I just began reading Elisabeth Elliot's devotional book "Keep a Quiet Heart".   The first chapter so spoke to me and was an encouragement to me.  She began this section of the book with a little poem by Amy Carmichael that was so good, and it kind of summed up her first chapter.  I thought I'd share the main sections of the first chapter that spoke to me with the hopes that it may be an encouragement to all of you as well.  :-)  May we seek His will and wait on Him in every aspects of our lives!

~Breanna

 

"Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,

Thou art the Lord who soother the furious sea,
What matter beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with Thee?

Hold us quiet through the age-long minute
While Thou art silent, and the wind is shrill:

Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, art in it?

Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will?"

~Amy Carmichael

"Purity of heart, said Kierkgaard, is to will one thing.  The Son willed only one thing: the will of His Father.  That's what He came to earth to do.  Nothing else.  One whose aim is as pure as that can have a completely quiet heart, knowing what the psalmist knew: 'Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, and have made my lot secure' (Psalm 14:5 NIV).  I know of no greater simplifier for all of life.  Whatever happens is assigned.  Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things which happen to us which do not belong to our lovingly assigned 'portion' ('This belongs to it, that does not')?  Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty?  Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good.  As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled.  Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter."


"A quiet heart is content with what God gives.  It is enough.  All is grace."

"Response is what matters. Remember that our forefathers were all guided by the pillar of cloud, all passed through the sea, all ate and drank the same spiritual food and drink, but God was not pleased with most of them.  Their response was all wrong...The same almighty God apportioned their experience. All events serve His will.  Some responded in faith.  Most did not.  'No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.' (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).  Think of that promise and keep a quiet heart!  Our enemy delights in disquieting us.  Our Savior and Helper delights in quieting us.  'As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you' is His promise (Is 66:13, NIV).  The choice is ours.  It depends on our willingness to see everything in God, receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude just the portion and the cup He offers."

"God came down and lived in this same world as a man.  He showed us how to live in this world, subject to its vicissitudes and necessities, that we might be changed- not into an angel or a storybook princess, not wafted into another world, but changed into saints in this world.  The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances"

"He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best,

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest."

~Linda Sandell

~Brittany

Mom was sweet and took some of us for a little drive the other evening so that I could get some pictures from a couple new angles.  Thanks Mom. :-)  I am constantly awe-struck at the beauty of the sunrise and sunsets that the Lord sends each day.  His creation is amazing!  Praise the Lord!

~Brittany

"The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat."

~ Elisabeth Elliot ~

from her book Passion and Purity

~Brittany

Trials and Consolations

“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”  - 2 Corinthians 1:5

There is a blessed proportion. The Ruler of Providence bears a pair of scales-in this side he puts his people’s trials, and in that he puts their consolations. When the scale of trial is nearly empty, you will always find the scale of consolation in nearly the same condition; and when the scale of trials is full, you will find the scale of consolation just as heavy. When the black clouds gather most, the light is the more brightly revealed to us. When the night lowers and the tempest is coming on, the Heavenly Captain is always closest to his crew. It is a blessed thing, that when we are most cast down, then it is that we are most lifted up by the consolations of the Spirit. One reason is, because trials make more room for consolation. Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation. God comes into our heart-he finds it full-he begins to break our comforts and to make it empty; then there is more room for grace. The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have, because he will be more fitted to receive it. Another reason why we are often most happy in our troubles, is this-then we have the closest dealings with God. When the barn is full, man can live without God: when the purse is bursting with gold, we try to do without so much prayer. But once take our gourds away, and we want our God; once cleanse the idols out of the house, then we are compelled to honour Jehovah. “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.” There is no cry so good as that which comes from the bottom of the mountains; no prayer half so hearty as that which comes up from the depths of the soul, through deep trials and afflictions. Hence they bring us to God, and we are happier; for nearness to God is happiness. Come, troubled believer, fret not over your heavy troubles, for they are the heralds of weighty mercies.

-Charles Spurgeon's Morning Meditation, February 12th

~Brittany