wisdom – Margaret Allen

“He brought me to His banqueting table, And His banner over me was love.” Song of Songs 2:4

We just bought a home in Idaho and I’ve been gathering household items to bring since there aren’t many big stores in that area. Not knowing what the former owner would leave, I bought some cute Target towels to bring with me, just in case. But I did browse the high-end stuff at Bloomingdale’s at Valley Fair just to dream. Abyss towels felt out of this world but they cost some crazy amount like $100 a towel. I took a picture of them, that’s all.

When we moved into the house, we discovered the former owner had outfitted each bedroom with lovely bedding and the bathroom with, you guessed it, Abyss towels. I wanted to cry.

You wouldn’t believe that towels could be the catalyst for a spiritual experience, but stay with me. Do you sometimes get the impression that God, yes God Almighty, actually gets a kick out of blessing you? It’s almost like you could look across the room and catch Him just smiling at you, waiting for that look of delight and wonder.

One quiet morning in the new house I was sitting with my Bible and coffee and just gazing out the window. Normally, the hundreds of aspens in my view would merely blend into a dull kind of gray, but in the quiet of this particular morning, each tree seemed to stand out individually. I held the beauty of them. A black and white magpie darted through the trees. Geese honked overhead as they divebombed the river. The silvery light cascaded through the cottony flowers of the aspens. The entire scene took my breath away, and in the moment, I actually felt loved. Again, it was as if I could look across the room and catch Him watching me, seeing if I found delight in His gifts. Both of these moments—the towels and the morning view of aspens– felt extravagant.

It’s interesting that the definition of extravagant reflects a negative perspective: “exceeding what is reasonable or appropriate,” “lacking in moderation, balance and restraint,” and “over the top.” But sometimes “over the top” is wonderful. Sometimes we pray that God would connect with us in an unrestrained way. We scour the old stories for new sprouts of truth and life. We look for His face in common events.

And that’s what happened for me that beautiful silver morning when the first song on my Sonos playlist was a Casting Crowns song, “Your Love is Extravagant.” The harmonies are spectacular but the lyrics just wrecked me: “Your love is extravagant, Your friendship, it is intimate. Spread wide in the arms of Christ, is the love that covers sin. No greater love have I ever known than You considered me a friend.” The fact that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners is extravagant, over the top, love. How He made us to relish beauty and to connect with nature in a spiritual and sensuous way totally lacks moderation. The way God inspires people we don’t even know to give gifts we couldn’t give ourselves, truly exceeds reason.

God gives good gifts to us: beauty when our hearts ache for inspiration, nature moving in a complex system with cohesion releasing peace to our tech weary eyes. He offers avenues of protection, channels of provision, streams in a desert. Recklessly, He throws reason aside and loves unconditionally. Like a lottery winner we can’t believe our good fortune that God, yes God, Almighty loves us, extravagantly.

Have you recognized the love of God in your life recently? This week, scan the landscape for ways that God is smiling at you. Steal moments from a busy world to gaze upon beauty, walk in nature, be still, and be at peace. Let Him love you!

Do you know someone who could use some inspiration in life right now? Share this blog or gift my book, Gracious Living, creating a culture of honor, love, and compassion. Go to www.MargaretAllen.org for “Mondays with Margaret” and other resources.

What’s the conversation sound like in your head these days? The harsh rhetoric in our world today seems to have leeched into my self-talk. Having just published my first book, I’m on a steep learning curve with publishing, marketing, social media, shipping and so on. My brain hurts! But I’ve caught myself being self-critical and exaggerating negative predictions like you’ll never figure this out! Why did you even think you could… you fill in the blanks. My daughter heard some of my stinkin’thinkin’ and she started quoting my book to me. In her sweet, young voice she read:

“Do the conversations in your head sound like someone who is deeply loved and secure? Is your self-talk filled with compassion and gentleness? Would you hope your daughters talk about themselves in similar ways? Small changes produce significant results. Thinking of yourself and talking to yourself with affection and appreciation may seem insignificant, but it cascades into a more gracious environment all around. Silencing the harsh voice of self-criticism and speaking to yourself with grace is sunshine for your soul, my friend. You’ll feel the warmth—and so will others.” (Gracious Living, p. 37) God bless that child and our kitchen conversations!

The turn-around for me was quick. At the next obstacle, instead of berating myself, I purposely declared there’s a lot to learn here, and I’m new to this, be patient. You see, if I had a friend entering a new profession, I wouldn’t call her stupid for not knowing things. No, I would call her brave for trying something new. I would say things like hang in there, you’re just learning, be patient with yourself and with the process. It is a gracious choice to speak kindly to oneself as well as others.

How do you keep the conversation in your head bright and true? Do you struggle with negative predictions? In this season where we are all grieving some sort of loss, intentionality is key. The Apostle Paul wrote that we are to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Ruminating on negative, fearful, or critical thoughts doesn’t produce goodness in us. The wisdom writings in Proverbs state “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) I’m learning to speak life over myself and others. My goal is to release resilience, hope, and peace through my words.

Don’t let negativity creep into your language! Take those thoughts captive and replace them with truth and love. We each carry tremendous power to speak life and love—over ourselves, our friends and family, our community and nation. Use your words to create a culture of honor. You, and those around you, will be lifted up.

You can buy the book Gracious Living, creating a culture of honor, love, and compassion today at MargaretAllen.org or the Kindle version on Amazon.

Tag: wisdom

Extravagant

Self-Talk