On a recent visit to the Long Leaf Sawmill and Lumber Museum in South Louisiana, we were able to view the many aspects of felling huge native pines and cutting them into usable lumber. The trees were downed with axes and cross cut saws. Long teams of oxen then pulled wagons filled with logs to the sawmill and dumped them into the “yard.” The logs were then moved, by hand, into the saw mill where they were cut into boards. The boards had to be moved into a heated kiln where they were dried for at least five hours. Again, they were moved into a barn where they were loaded onto rail cars to be delivered to waiting customers. This process involved multiple moves.
The five-letter word “moved” slides off my tongue with no thought to the intense physical labor involved to accomplish each task. Think about it. There were no conveyor belts. Even the 16-foot finished boards required two men to move them from one place to another.
Likewise, if we want to move deeper in our relationship with the Lord, it will also require time and energy, effort and commitment. It is out of this place of being in relationship with God and fellow Christians that we see the flow of doing what is led by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, it is like trying to pull a wagon full of logs without the aid of the oxen—fruitless, impossible, performance based.
Spirit led spirituality depends on the power of the Lord to work in us to accomplish His desired outcome. Are there times when you attempt to move forward in your own power?
Me too.
Blessings,
Annette
Looking with New Eyes 