He who does little, but in a state to which God calls him, does more than he who labours much, but in a state which he has thoughtlessly chosen: a cripple limping in the right way is better than a racer out of it. ~ St. Augustine
How true that quote is. And how often I have been guilty of being the racer who labours much but in a state I have thoughtlessly chosen. I am reminded of a time a few years ago when I stubbed my toe and fractured it. For 4 weeks, I was that cripple in the quote, slowly and carefully hobbling down corridors and up and down stairs. I thought of the large amount of work that needed to be done but which I couldn’t in my state. There was no help for it; I could only work as fast as I could move.
Surprisingly, everything got done. For 4 weeks, I worked with calm deliberation, thoughtfully considering my every move and task. No frenzied ticking off lists in my head. No zipping here and there, doing the necessary and the unnecessary. Still, work got done. Meals got cooked. Clothes got laundered and ironed.
For 4 weeks, every minute was lived in gentleness.
Today, for the first time, I catch the morning sun shining its heart right through the trees facing the east. At that perfect angle, the sun’s rays pierce my eyes and my heart. Delighting in this early morning gift, I leave my work to love the sun.
What do You ask of me, Lord? I happily tilt my own heart to the sun. No reply is laid upon my ears as second by second, the gold of morning grows impossibly brighter. Then, just as suddenly as it came to its window in our trees, the sun rose higher, taking its piercing rays to others.
In the ineffable sweetness of parting, I understood the call of His flaming Heart.
Live in gentleness.
writingonmyheart 