I've been a sometime visitor and commenter to Spiritual Journey Thursday. I loved Holly's idea of writing about the spiritual focus of our OLW. So I asked Holly to include my OLW on the list. Then I received a tweet from her reminding me that it was time to post. That's when I realized I had joined the group! This morning I picked up a favorite book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. The book fell open to p. 101 and this paragraph:
"The story of Mary and Martha was never meant to be a psychological profile or a role play in which we choose the character with whom we most identify. This is the story of two different responses to one singular occasion. In it, we should find not our personality type, but the kind of heart Christ longs for us to have.
A heart centered in him alone."
I long to be the kind of disciple mentioned in Jeremiah 28, verses 12 and 13:
"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart."
A heart centered in him alone, and searching for him with all my heart - this is a quest that requires my constant focus. I like this Selwyn Hughes quote (also from Weaver's book): "Life works better when we know how to glance at things but gaze at God. Seeing Him clearly will enable us to see all other things clearly." I fear that I am guilty of glancing at God and gazing at things. I want this to be a year when I spend more time gazing at God and focusing my heart on the Lord.
Ramona,
ReplyDeleteYour opening paragraph made me laugh. ;-) I hope you don't mind that I included you in our group. I'm thrilled that you're writing with us! I hope you find it to be as nourishing a group as I do. I've heard about that book, but have never read it. It sounds like it's full of wise things. The quote in the final paragraph is so poignant. Oh my, I know I spend so much time gazing at things!! I will keep that in mind. Thank you for helping me expand my idea of FOCUS: gaze on God and not things in order to center your heart on God alone.
"Life works better when we know how to glance at things but gaze at God." WoW! I needed this quote! I might need to write it and post it somewhere where I can see it many times during the day! So glad you are part of this group!
ReplyDeleteYep, it is official - you are part of the group! I, too, love that last quote. The word gaze just seems to give it a different connotation. One that I really like. I am going to have to check that book out. I am so glad you have joined this special group. It isn't often when you educators on a spiritual journey together.
ReplyDelete"Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" is one of my favorites as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this reminder to gaze at Him.