An Instrument of Beauty

Posted by Picasa
The spoon came from Rackhams, a department store that seemed very expensive and "classy" to me at sixteen, which is when I found it. I loved to catch the train into Birmingham from the nearby village of Alvechurch whenever I could, to visit the art gallery, or museum--or explore the shops.
In England young girls didn't have "hope chests," we had "bottom drawers." The idea was to gather things in it for the day when we met our knight in shining armour and were swept off into the sunset on a white horse. At that moment we would say, "Hang on a minute, we've got to empty that drawer"--we would be prepared!
I saw the serving spoon and loved it. It was simple and elegant and the lines of it pleased my eye and hand. Though only made of stainless steel, it was of very good quality and glowed softly as it caught the light, with a patina as lovely as that of silver--and I could just about afford it.
Not too long after that I did meet Paul, my knight in shining armour, and in the forty years since then we have been blessed abundantly with a cosy home filled with many things we treasure, and among them is this spoon. It's funny how such a simple thing can bring pleasure, but whenever I take it from drawer to table, I enjoy using it. Someone took care in designing it--the shape of the bowl and the curve of the handle, it is useful and beautiful.
As carefully as some unknown craftsman shaped my spoon, God has shaped you and I. As I take pleasure in my spoon, so does he in us, his creation. Of course we are much more than objects of art or utility to him.--humankind was made in his image--an image that was marred by sin to be sure--but in his image nonetheless.
My spoon can't speak or feel my pleasure in using it--it's totally a one way relationship, but how wonderful to have been crafted by God with a unique purpose in mind and to feel his pleasure when we are yielded in his hand, being used for his purpose in that moment. In those moments of yieldedness and usefulness I believe that every cell in our bodies vibrate with joy--and I believe our heart beats keep time with a song we alone were meant to sing.
Revelation 4:11 (21st Century King James Version)

11"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are, and were created."

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dear Bel(Q)- How beautiful! I also thought that during the lifetime of that spoon, when it is used for celebrations and gatherings, fellowship and service, that it will get dented, scratched and that during the cleansing process it will be rubbed and abrased, that even all these " scars" make it no less beautiful to you. That simply because it was chosen by you,loved by you and was crafted with care that you won't see the marks. And even if you do, because of your original intent and delight in it, it is no less beautiful to you. How lovely to know that is how God feels about us. And we aren't spoons. Poppy
9:28 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Voyage

Image
Note from Belinda: I read this prayer yesterday and again today--and then I read it to Susan after cell group, when we were having our "second cup" of decaff coffee together. I knew that she'd love it. She has a framed picture on her office wall of a little blond haired girl in a sail boat on a stormy sea. A fatherly sailor,with a weather beaten face; in a gray sou'wester, holds her close, as he capably mans the tiller. This prayer reminds me of that picture and influenced what I wrote earlier today, when I used the metaphor of ebbing waves to describe a lack of consistency and my desire to crash over the sandbar into the peaceful pool on the other side.  ( Susan sent me a link to the painting, which was done by American impressionist Robert Reid in 1888.  It hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in NYC.) Be bless ed by the beauty of this prayer. OH LORD OF THE OCEANS, My little bark sails on a restless sea, Grant that Jesus may sit at the
Read more

Ere Zij God--Glory to God in the Highest! A Dutch Carol

Image
By Belinda This beautiful Dutch carol was shared today by a friend of Dutch ancestry, on Facebook. I had never heard it before but absolutely loved it. It moved me deeply, especially at the end after the crowd leaves the church and then breaks into spontaneous singing again around a brazier, with the sound of chiming church bells in the background. Listen to it with headphones or a good speaker to get the full effect of the harmonies. And happy first Sunday in Advent!
Read more

Samson Beaver and his Family

Image
I first posted this in 2009, a little show and tell about one of my favourite photographs. Back then it hung on a wall, but now it's in my bathroom where I see it every morning! I'd forgotten the history behind the story, researched when I first posted this and thought that current readers might enjoy it--a story from a time when this land was still being discovered, not so very long ago. This photograph was taken by Mary Schaffer; artist, photographer, writer and naturalist, in 1907. It is of a Stoney Indian named Samson Beaver, with his wife Leah and daughter, Frances Louise. I bought the photo on a postcard, on a trip to British Columbia and it hangs framed, on the wall I face when sitting at my laptop. I love it. Don't you just feel as if you could gather Frances Louise up in your arms and cuddle her? I get a deep sense of peace and happiness when I look at this family, sitting in the grass of a long ago fall. They are dressed in their best, beautiful c
Read more