The Gift and the Giver

I had a wonderful time yesterday, creating this wall of photos, and doing some other little projects. I think I'll use them for my $M post, since I'll be gone all weekend- so you can look forward to that.

They brought me real joy- down deep. This often happens, when I'm subduing.

You see, I'm a subduer. That's what I love to do. When I'm using my God-given gifts to make order, efficiency, beauty out of anything, really, I know what it is to feel the pleasure of God.

This is why I love decorating- the joy of creating spaces that are beautiful and functional, using things I find in all manner of places. It's the reason I love to cook, taking a pile of most-basic ingredients and in a delicate balance of quantities and techniques, I create a lovely meal- good for the body and the soul. It's why I love to shape the tasks and moments of rest and play in our day- to take X amount of hours we have together and shape the time so there is time for those most necessary tasks, and for the ones we just want to do, and for the free time we need to grow and play and enjoy one another. It's why I love to organize. Anything. It doesn't have to be perfect when I'm done- but to take what was gone astray and bring it back to a place of order, belonging, function, beauty even. These things bring me that joy, down deep.

I was reflecting on this, this morning, as I sat down with my coffee and my Bible, with my quiet time's typical agenda all laid out in my mind. I was sitting, adoring that wall of photos, letting my mind wander where it wanted. I just felt a deep, deep joy. In my wall. But you see, the joy isn't in the thing, it's in the Thing. All contained in this one act of taking the plain wall and making it new. The entire process. I couldn't take my mind or heart off of it to get to the other things I had planned for my time in the early morning light. I felt like God didn't mind. So I just sat, enjoying that wall down deep.

And in my heart I felt certain, His heart was saying to mine,

"You know why you love this so much? Because I gave you that gift, that art of the balance of color and shape. I gave you that love of the nature you've captured in those photos, and the deep love you have for those children, the ones I created and gave to you for this time. You love these things, because I love them. I am the Creator of them, the Author of Life, and no one enjoys creating more than me. I gave those gifts to you, because they are such a part of Me, and I love them, and I love you, and I wanted so much for us to share these things together. It brings me great joy for you to enjoy wholeheartedly the gifts I've given you- and I know my joy brings you joy. I love to see you enjoy Me and the gifts I've given you with one joy- the complete joy of gift and Giver in one."

And then, He reminded me of something that gave me great liberty when He first revealed it to me,

"Don't ever be afraid that enjoyment of things, or activities, or people alone will tear your heart from me. As long as you love those things ultimately because they are good gifts from the Giver who owns and blesses your heart, they will only draw you closer to the One who made them and gave them lovingly to you, For Your Joy!, they will only bring us more intimacy, more mutual joy. And I love to see you enjoy Me, and all the good gifts I've created for and in you. And I love it when your heart's delight in them overflows to words and thoughts of gratitude, gifts to me."

Thank you, thank you, Thank You, Father, for every good and perfect gift.