Lessons from along the way

Yesterday I learned two things during our day. The first came while the boys and I were looking at the seashells we brought back from the beach. We visited a place called Shell Island while in Florida. The others on the trip were frustrated at the lack of shells, but we came back with a huge bag full of them. The difference was the boys. They would pick up anything and everything. I thought about encouraging them to look for whole shells, but they were having so much fun I let them continue. Yesterday as we sorted through them I realized that the few whole ones we had were OK, but the others were all spectacular in their own way. Their very lack of perfection made them beautiful. The worn and broken spots made each one a work of art. Each one was creative.

Of course, this made me think of my life. I want myself, my experiences, and the people around me to be perfect. But God is offering so much more. He knows that the imperfections that frustrate me are beautiful to Him. He is not a God that seeks conformity in is creation, He is too creative for us all to be alike. He revels in the the bumps and bruises that have shaped us into works of art.

The second lesson He taught me was about salvation.

The boys mowed the yard for the first time yesterday. Tim and I gave them some instruction, walked with them for a little bit, and then stood back and let them go. I observed an interesting thing that I have seen pop up before. The boys learn best with a little instruction, a lot of freedom, and a host of mistakes. As they mowed they began to get a "feel" for the mower. They missed some spots and had to go back and get them. The next time around they would change the way they handled those areas and wouldn't mess up there again. They struggled (barely seeing over the mower) and worked out a way to make the mower work for them. As the time passed, they got it. They figured it out and did a wonderful job. I'm sure they learned much more than if I had given them a complex lecture and held their hand the whole way.

The phrase "work out your salvation" kept coming to mind. Like the boys, God has given us some instructions, a lot of freedom, and lets us make a lot of mistakes. Sometimes we want detailed instructions and are frustrated because we can't seem to get all we want, but God understands that as we struggle and "work out our salvation" we will learn so much more. He could give us all the answers, but would we learn as much? Mistakes are a wonderful teaching tool.

One of my favorite stories is about Thomas Edison who when asked about all his failed attempts to make a light bulb exclaimed they were not failures, instead he had learned 2000 ways not to make a light bulb! Obviously God wants us to seek maturity and wants to see growth in our lives, but what if He is not as scared of us making mistakes as we are? What if He has put us here with enough freedom to make mistakes and doesn't require us to beat ourselves up over every mistake, but instead asks us to learn from them, make adjustments and do a little better each time?

Just some thoughts. Be blessed.