One of the interesting parts of military life is the constant moving. It's always on your mind whether you've just moved to a new station, whether you are in the middle of your tour, or whether you are about to move on to your next one. It's something we all talk about, and it's something that fills you with both excitement and dread.
You might think that moving so often would deter us from acquiring too much stuff; after all, who wants to pack and unpack a houseful of goods every 2 to 3 years? We do, apparently! We made a decision early on in our marriage that even though we would never be in one place too long, we would make whatever state, and whatever house we were in, our home...and we like our home filled with stuff.
I don't mind moving; the process isn't really that difficult. Movers come, they pack, they load a truck, and on the other side they unload and we are set to make another house our home. Inevitably though, there are boxes that just never get unpacked. You know the ones...they are marked "Misc", or "Books", or "Office". Some boxes move from garage to garage to garage, never seeing the light of day. I love those "mystery" boxes; they are filled with things you don't really miss in your everyday life, but when opened reveal treasures long forgotten.
I opened one such box this afternoon. I was in search of a set of books I had promised to lend a friend, and my quest brought me to a box simply marked "books". Now let me explain, we have about 10 unopened boxes labeled "books"...we love books in our home, but have no place for a library in our current house. It didn't take me long to locate the series I was looking for, but hidden among them I came across a book that was given to me years ago...I had never read it, but it has moved with me back and forth across the country, multiple times over the past 11 years. It's just a small book, pocket sized really, but as I cracked it open today I soon discovered the message inside was huge.
The book is simply entitled If , and it was written by a woman named Amy Carmichael. Amy was born in Ireland in 1867, and spent most of her life working as a missionary in India. In describing how this amazingly simple, yet profound book came to be, Amy states, "...sentence by sentence the "Ifs" came, almost as if spoken aloud in the inward ear." As a "want-to-be" writer and one who longs for God to use me as He sees fit, this statement stood out to me; Amy Carmichael was a woman who devoted her life to serving God and to listening for His voice in all she did...how I long to be like that.
The thing about my discovery of this book that is amazing to me is that I have had this book since before I was married. It's something that I could have easily "purged" on one of our moves, or misplaced here or there along the way...goodness knows how much we have lost during our 10 (or so) moves...but I didn't, it's been right there in our garage for years: a treasure hidden until it was revealed. The thing is, before right now...where I am in my walk today...it wouldn't have meant much to me. I wasn't ready for it then, but now I am. Today, the words of Amy Carmichael...a woman who died almost 30 years before I was born...have revolutionized my heart and have taken me to a whole new level of awareness about myself in Christ. God does that; He reveals all things at the proper time.
She says in the introduction of the book that all of the "ifs" are not meant to be read in one sitting; that you should "here and there" read what is needed. I confess that I sat down and read them all; some touched me deeply as they illuminated where I still lack in the knowledge and application of God's love in my life; some I will come back to "here and there" to ponder and pray about.
I found a treasure today, and God revealed a little more of Himself to me in an unexpected place. The key to finding His hidden treasures is having a heart open to revelation at any time, in any situation. God speaks to us clearly when we chose to listen. Open your eyes, your ears, and your heart to hear Him when He says, "You are ready ... I have something to teach you ..."
I wanted to share a few of Amy's "Ifs" with you; these are just a couple that jumped out as things that I need to grasp and apply in my own life.
"If I can easily discuss the shortcomings and the sins of any; if I can speak in a casual way even of a child's misdoings, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
"If I enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
"If in dealing with one who does not respond, I weary of the strain, and slip from under the burden, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
"If I cast up a confessed, repented, and forsaken sin against another, and allow my remembrance of that sin to color my thinking and feed my suspicions, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
"If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. **For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted."
"If I say, 'Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget,' as though the God, who twice a day washes all the sands on all the shores of the all the world, could not wash such memories from my mind, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
I could quote the whole book, I guess. I love it. I will end with this one though:
"If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
I have quite a bit to learn about "Calvary love"; I thank God for His word, and for the words of others who listen to His voice and who share the gifts they receive with the rest of us. I thank God that He reveals Himself at just the right time, and in just the right way.
In Mark 4:21-25 Jesus says, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Consider carefully what you hear...with the measure you use, it will be measured to you- and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
I hope that if God is bringing something into the light for you, you will chose to hear what He is saying; when you hear it, apply it...when you use the knowledge and wisdom God gives you according to His will, He will continue to reveal Himself to you. It is an amazing, beautiful gift...knowing and being known by your Heavenly Father.
Perhaps it's time for you to search for the hidden treasure He is waiting for you to discover...
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