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For today’s pruning devotional, God has prompted me to draw our attention toward the branch of resignation.
Resignation is the unhappy feeling that something unwanted or unpleasant will happen and cannot be changed. It is the unresistant acceptance of something undesirable as inevitable.
Many of us, when we consider the various items God wants to prune, experience resignation. We sense that some things may never change. We feel defeated, as though transformation will never come.
Of course, if we were backed into a corner, we would declare that “God can do anything” and that “God’s not done with me yet.” But in our hearts, we are resigned to the fact that we’re stuck.
It’s in moments like that that I find it helpful to remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 18: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”
Unlike adults, little children rarely experience resignation. Instead, they perceive hope and envision transformation. Consequently, their faith can help the most resigned adult.
Today, I wonder if you would let God prune your resignation through the artwork of Gideon Anderson? During a recent sermon, Gideon made this drawing:
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I don’t know about you, but when I see this work, I immediately tear up.
It’s hard to express how much I LOVE this.
Gideon is keenly aware of the brokenness of the world, but not yet resigned to it.
I described shame and before I could even present the good news, he created a drawing that expresses a longing to escape that unpleasant feeling.
Better yet, his drawing provides each of us with an invitation:
Wouldn’t it be cool if we weren’t ashamed? YES or NO
We may be resigned to the elements in our false or distorted selves, but Gideon has a vision of wholeness in the Kingdom Come. And like Jesus, he’s inviting us to enter into that Kingdom.
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TODAY’s REFLECTION: What’s your answer to Gideon’s question? What can you glean from the faith of a child?
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