"Ogres are like onions...oh, they stink?
No...Layers....
Onions have layers, ogres have layers.
You get it? We both have layers."
I believe our heart has layers as well.
Some of these layers are old....formed many years ago...
...like a protective shield around our heart....
A heart that was hurt from a cruel comment...."you can't do anything right", "you're so stupid"...."you're ugly"....
Another layer formed when a relationship ended and they
chose someone else instead...
Another layer formed from bad habits....
....eating habits that ran to the pantry when things were too stressful or too noisy....chocolate helps, right?....
....spending habits that ran to the store when I was bored or
needed to feel better....can money buy happiness?
Underneath all the layers is something
beautiful and fearfully made.
So, my job was to strip the old wallpaper off the upstairs hallway walls last May in our "new" home that was built in 1957. There were actually three different layers of wallpaper on these walls from a variety of decades past.
Needless to say, it was time for a clean start so I got out the water and a scrapper......and I scraped....and scraped...and scraped....
What I discovered was very interesting....
...some layers came off quickly on the first pass of the scrapper....
...others I had to get wet first and let them soak in the
water to loosen it's grip...
...Then the next pass of the scrapper pealed the wallpaper off the surface of the wall to freely fall onto the floor....
....Revealing a smooth, flawless surface beneath....
I noticed though, if I waited too long to scrap once the water had soaked in, the paper dried up again and the opportunity to easily remove it was gone.
I had to add more water again to see if this time, the wallpaper would drink in the moisture and let go to be removed.
Our LORD is the healer of our hearts and can
transform your life, one layer at a time.
I have lived out a number of layer peelings over the past two years and the process was painful and beautiful at the same time.
He removed my pride first....
...then my lust....
...then my anger....
(this was a more stubborn layer that required some "water" to remove)
....then my habit to eat when stressed or bored....
(this removed 25 lbs from me in just 4 months which was amazing!)
....then my love for my house and possessions...
(this one hurt....deep...but my contentment now is priceless)
...then my desire for control....
(learning to trust and wait....I think one might have multiple layers!)
...then my money....
(letting go of what really isn't mine anyway to be used in a better way)
I know there are even more layers of my heart yet to be peeled.
Thankfully, the LORD is patient and gentle and has
been walking me through each and every day.
This new life is a journey that requires me to peel off the old self and be transformed into the real me that lies just below the surface.
Who knew Shrek was so smart?!!
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