The day before yesterday my husband brought up something
that he used to do which was a great trial to me and asked me what I would do if he
did it again? In foolishness, I imagined him having that weakness again - forever - and told him the worst lie imaginable; I said I
would have to leave him. How could I have been so thoughtless and blind?
I knew instantly when I said it that it wasn't true. It was the source of much frustration... but I had faith that things would change; I saw in him the desire, capability, and potential - not to change - but to chip away at all that held him down from being the person that I knew God created him to be! Just as he has ALWAYS seen and loved in me, even that which is still waiting to be seen by others! How unkind and unfair to be impatient and short sighted!
As I have felt the pains of my foolish words (how ironic after the last post!), I have done much reflecting upon the fifth chapter of a book I recently began reading, Aspire, by Kevin Hall. In it I learned many important truths...
Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, and other world famous paintings. He studied birds, nature, how things moved and worked... When he died, among his notes were the designs of many inventions which would come about by his great genius. Even before people knew of what was in his book of notes, the living would often ask him where he got his great genius from. He simply said one word, "Sapere Vedere." It means, "knowing how to see..."
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, had the same gift of seeing what others could not see. He would look at a block of marble and see - not a block - but a figure within the block. To everyone else it was a block... but in his eyes it was a figure beneath a mass; he had only to sculpt away unwanted mass until he uncovered and revealed the beautiful figure within.
On days when I didn't lack vision, I, like Michelangelo,
looked at my husband many years ago and saw in him an amazing and beautiful person. But it was not me who would sculpt him out.
On days of vision, I treated him like the person he was within... helping him to
catch vision of who he really was, just as he helps me to catch the vision of
who I am... On visionary days, I loved him like he was already that person, just as he so consistently loves and sees the best in me! And both are uplifted, edified, and inspired to be the best we can be.
God created each and every one of us beautifully, even masterfully.
He then lovingly placed us into this challenging and deceptive world where the only way we can see things as they really are is to live by faith and pray to see what only God can see... He placed us here so we may come to see and realize the amazing person He created us to be. And I think it is safe to assume that He desires us to see the best in others as well. ;)
Of God's love and will for us, we become subject to the trials and lies of the world. Underneath all the pains of this world and struggles which hide so much more... there are beautiful children of God with amazing potential for good. Potential which could never be discovered without adversity... With this adversity, we are given the quest and privilege to *live by faith, *find our way back to God, *discover what we were created for, and *choose for ourselves what we will chip away at... un-bury; and to what degree we will fulfill the measure of our creation.
We ALL lose our way to some degree and forget who we are and what we were created to be... And I think that most of us never realize that we ALREADY ARE that which God created us to be. All we have to do is BELIEVE it, SEE it, DISCOVER it, OVERCOME that which buries it, and LIVE IT as if we already are...
What was I created to do and be? We should all ask ourselves that. If we look at our passions, talents, dreams, desires... we will know! We will discover more about ourselves as we SERVE others and do the things we love...
I hope your Thanksgiving is fabulous! I hope that you are blessed to see through the eyes of God... your many wonderful blessings. Blessings of talent and beauty in yourself. And blessings of talent and beauty in the people you love. May God grant you these eyes for a day; and may you remember and treat these wonderful children of God as the beautiful people they really are...
Happy Thanksgiving!
I knew instantly when I said it that it wasn't true. It was the source of much frustration... but I had faith that things would change; I saw in him the desire, capability, and potential - not to change - but to chip away at all that held him down from being the person that I knew God created him to be! Just as he has ALWAYS seen and loved in me, even that which is still waiting to be seen by others! How unkind and unfair to be impatient and short sighted!
As I have felt the pains of my foolish words (how ironic after the last post!), I have done much reflecting upon the fifth chapter of a book I recently began reading, Aspire, by Kevin Hall. In it I learned many important truths...
Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, and other world famous paintings. He studied birds, nature, how things moved and worked... When he died, among his notes were the designs of many inventions which would come about by his great genius. Even before people knew of what was in his book of notes, the living would often ask him where he got his great genius from. He simply said one word, "Sapere Vedere." It means, "knowing how to see..."
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, had the same gift of seeing what others could not see. He would look at a block of marble and see - not a block - but a figure within the block. To everyone else it was a block... but in his eyes it was a figure beneath a mass; he had only to sculpt away unwanted mass until he uncovered and revealed the beautiful figure within.
On days when I didn't lack vision, I, like Michelangelo,
looked at my husband many years ago and saw in him an amazing and beautiful person. But it was not me who would sculpt him out.
On days of vision, I treated him like the person he was within... helping him to
catch vision of who he really was, just as he helps me to catch the vision of
who I am... On visionary days, I loved him like he was already that person, just as he so consistently loves and sees the best in me! And both are uplifted, edified, and inspired to be the best we can be.God created each and every one of us beautifully, even masterfully.
He then lovingly placed us into this challenging and deceptive world where the only way we can see things as they really are is to live by faith and pray to see what only God can see... He placed us here so we may come to see and realize the amazing person He created us to be. And I think it is safe to assume that He desires us to see the best in others as well. ;)
Of God's love and will for us, we become subject to the trials and lies of the world. Underneath all the pains of this world and struggles which hide so much more... there are beautiful children of God with amazing potential for good. Potential which could never be discovered without adversity... With this adversity, we are given the quest and privilege to *live by faith, *find our way back to God, *discover what we were created for, and *choose for ourselves what we will chip away at... un-bury; and to what degree we will fulfill the measure of our creation.
We ALL lose our way to some degree and forget who we are and what we were created to be... And I think that most of us never realize that we ALREADY ARE that which God created us to be. All we have to do is BELIEVE it, SEE it, DISCOVER it, OVERCOME that which buries it, and LIVE IT as if we already are...
What was I created to do and be? We should all ask ourselves that. If we look at our passions, talents, dreams, desires... we will know! We will discover more about ourselves as we SERVE others and do the things we love...
I hope your Thanksgiving is fabulous! I hope that you are blessed to see through the eyes of God... your many wonderful blessings. Blessings of talent and beauty in yourself. And blessings of talent and beauty in the people you love. May God grant you these eyes for a day; and may you remember and treat these wonderful children of God as the beautiful people they really are...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Corine :D
Thankful thoughts: I'm so thankful for a patient and loving husband who treats me like I am everything I could ever dream of being! :D I'm thankful that he is rubbing off on me, and that I am learning to see, a little better every day! :)
Thankful thoughts: I'm so thankful for a patient and loving husband who treats me like I am everything I could ever dream of being! :D I'm thankful that he is rubbing off on me, and that I am learning to see, a little better every day! :)
Posts
Thank you so much for sharing this. It has really touched me today.
ReplyDeleteCorine,
ReplyDeleteI think we all lack vision at certain times but if I'm correct, it is what makes us human!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Hugs on this Thanksgiving eve.
This is a beautiful post! You have hit on so many truths and somehow meshed it all together into one place. Your insight is so deep and meaningful. I wish every couple could understand this truth about their spouse and see the person in them that God sees in them. Many more marriages would be stronger and happier if that were the case. I'm glad you are reading this book and sharing what you learn with the rest of us so that we can benefit with you!
ReplyDelete:) Hugs ~Ginger
Thank you so much Valerie! I was hoping this post was OK; a little affirmation goes a long way! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!!!
Thanks, Tracy! I do appreciate that! :) I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving day today! And I'm glad so you lead me back to your blog; it's great to see you again!!!
Corine :D
Thanks Ginger! I'm so happy that you like this! :D We have had some rough times caused from NOT seeing... and some wonderful times result from SEEING. It takes effort, and the desire to truly love the other as much as one loves himself. It takes a commitment to be patient, not be selfish, and to really focus on what one can GIVE in a relationship; but the results are soooo worth the effort!
My husband told me (after our little discussion mentioned at the beginning of this post) that a prophet (he thinks it was Spencer W Kimball) said that if two people were selfless (rather than selfish) with each other... the marriage almost HAD to work out.
A commitment to not being selfish is what helps us to change when we need to. This commitment to not being selfish is also what helps us to be patient while the other changes. As we have learned to be selfless with each other our marriage has transformed.
Being committed to being selfless is SO much easier to do when you pray to see your spouse as the lord does (which I now have a term for... "sapere vedere"); perhaps it is because we then see and focus on all the good; so we treat our spouse better and desire for things to work out. And as we treat them better, they feel more loved so they desire to treat us better too. It can start with just one person! :)
I don't know why I rambled on about this... :o Maybe it will help someone. :)
Hugs,
Corine :D