I featured this story in my last newsletter... hope you'll consider subscribing! (on the right of this page)
The Beautiful Blessing of Unevenness
Do you ever have times when your life seems uneven or out of sorts? Most of us feel that way at some time or another. I hope the story and picture I have to share with you on this subject renews your perspective on these times.
I painted the watercolor above, Uneven Steps, because of something I noticed while in Israel that's an echo of a greater reality in life I call the "blessing of unevenness." Here's the story:
I found myself getting really mad while at a car wash recently. This will sound silly and petty, but it was the slowest car wash west of the Mississippi and I had a schedule to keep. I'd set aside about 30 minutes to have simple routine maintenance performed on my vehicle then squeeze in a quick ride through the wash. In the past, I'd zipped in and out, but not this day. An hour and fifty minutes after arriving, I drove away with a clean car--- and a convicted heart. You see, I started seething inside when my carefully laid steps for my day became uneven. (Did you notice the overuse of "I" and "my" in that paragraph? That was part of the problem...)
In America, we're surrounded with even steps, for which I'm verygrateful. They're carefully choreographed by architects to be a precise, standard height and depth. It makes them safer for us to walk upon, but also means we can can climb up or down them without thinking.
Do you ever find yourself climbing up or down a set of familiar steps in "automatic pilot" mode? I've done that many a Sunday morning while hurriedly making my way from upstairs where I teach Bible study to the downstairs choir room at our church. I'm often slapping on some lipstick at the same time and hope that one day they don't find me in a crumbled heap at the foot of the staircase, with a big, zigzag smear of "Fresh Rose" on the stairwell above--- where I tried to break my fall!
My plans can be like those even steps. Check. Check. Check. I can go through my daily to do list (as I was doing on car wash day) on automatic pilot.
With that in mind, I noticed something much different throughout the Holy Land. It's full of extremely uneven steps, like those in my painting above. They demand slower movement and careful attention. There is no multitasking possible upon them because you've got to concentrate to keep from falling.
Of all the uneven steps we walked upon in Israel, none were more moving to me than those on the southern side of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was breathtaking to pause and ponder that this little section of original stone stairs were walked on by Jesus. The feet of Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul, and people living in breathless expectation of the coming Messiah- like Simeon and Anna- would likely have touched them too.
I expected the steps leading to the magnificent Temple structure to be even. Wrong. They were uneven, imbalanced, crooked. What floored me was when I learned they were designed that way. Here's why. . .
Uneven steps prevented worshipers from entering the Temple with careless, thoughtless, or haphazard movement of body or mind. They were structured to force worshipers to pause and think about what they were doing while on approach to the Temple. Careful consideration instead of casual indifference was required, making a necessity of Ecclesiastes 5:1 which says Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.
Each day, our "steps" are both external movements of the body and internal meditations of the heart. Just as the stairs leading into the Temple physically prevented worshipers from bounding up and down them, the unevenness that comes our way in daily life causes us to pause and ponder the Lord as well. A diagnosis, a delay, a disaster, a desperate cry for help--- all these are the gifts of unevenness.
It was just a silly old car wash, but I was caught off guard by the emotion that welled up inside of me. No one around me knew what was going on, but I did. My impatient heart attitude due to a schedule interruption was revealed in the resentment I felt over unexpected uneven steps. That day, I stumbled over them.
Unevenness Can Be A Blessing
The Lord sometimes allows the blessing of unevenness in our walk with Him. How can this be a blessing? you may ask.
I'm learning that unevenness can provide a beautiful break in the monotony of my daily steps, an imbalance that cuts through predictable patterns of routine and schedule. I can fight against these places or welcome them as a gift. What a difference it makes as I enter each day (and enter times of corporate worship, too) mindful of the Lord's sovereign control of all things, like my calendar, family, and schedule.
I hope you'll join me, as we step our way through summer, and give thought to the steps you take, especially in the uneven places of life. Proverbs 14:15 says: A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. Instead of stumbling over uneven places, let's embrace them as opportunities to thoughtfully turn to the Lord, ponder Him, thank Him, and draw close to Him.
Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Our steps are in His hands and He is worthy of our trust.
Thinking back on my car wash experience, instead of thinking, "Why are they moving so slow?" a wiser response would have been, "Lord, thank You for the gift of slowing down my schedule. Thank you for this place to pause, take deep breath, and think about You."
May the Lord bless you as you savor every step of your way this summer--- and rest in His direction of each one, whether even or uneven.
Blessings,
Debbie
The Pondering Palette: What has brought you uneven steps lately? What positive purpose have they provided for you?