Paperclips and whiteout...

Ok, I know, strange title...but here's the story to go with it. So I'm getting ready to head out of the office to make some visits at a local hospital and begin the day in that way. Now, granted my brain does function slightly differently at 8AM than it does at, say, 2PM, but nonetheless I think I just had an epiphany. Yes, I said it, epiphany. And it all came about because of paperclips and whiteout.
On my desk I have a few stacks...okay, a ton of stacks of papers. Each stack represents a different project...or period of time...or mood I was in when I stacked them...anyway, I have stacks. On the top of one stack was (until I discarded it) an idea that I had handwritten for a blog devotional thought. Boy, was it ever edited - whiteout and sharpy lines everywhere. And turns out, I didn't even use it. After all that, I just found that it was simply unusable. Okay, get ready - here's when I had the epiphany.
The blog thought written there wasn't really worth the paper it was written on. There were a couple of pages - all held together by paperclips...whiteout on the pages...paperclips holding them together. So I just happened to glance at the second page before filing this is "File 13" and something caught my attention. A phrase I'd written spoke to me distinctly. It said, "God can't use me." I sat for just a second and thought about why on earth I'd write that. What was going through my mind that I'd write that statement. Then it hit me: there have been many times in my life when He couldn't use me. My pride, ego, whatever you want to call it - prevented me from being usuable. And in those times do you know what I would try to do?
I'd pull out the "Whiteout of Life" and try to simply cover over the areas of my life He didn't like. I would make valiant attempts to just cover it all up - just sweep it under the rug. When God would convict me of areas of my life that weren't pleasing Him (marking it with a black sharpy pen) I would take out the whiteout and try to fix it myself. And all along - He just wanted a fresh page.
My life, at times, was held together by nothing more than cheap paperclips - my efforts, my accomplishments, my bragging rights, my this, my that. And when those cheap paperclips were removed - it all fell apart. God wants to give us an entirely new sheet. And even more than that - He wants to write the story of our life in red ink...His Son's blood - our redemption. And He wants to hold it all together with TONS of staples...our relationship with Him - an intimacy with the Almighty that's second to none.
Some might call that an epiphany - I just call it a God moment. And I'm just waiting and watching for the next one!

That's just a thought - and I welcome yours.
Feel free to email me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com .
Until next time, live blessed!
blake

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