Day after day he had seen it in its case,
gazing on its pristine beauty.
Until one day he freed it from its place
to view it in the sunlight clearly.
And when he did, the beam pierced through;
with eyes awakened did he see.
O friend, do take a look anew
for that same jeweler you can be.
Robert E. Rasmussen, Imagine Meeting Him
I was talking with friends recently about God’s forgiveness, and recalled one of my favorite passages from IMAGINE MEETING HIM:
“You couldn’t have been any farther east. You were burdened with an indefinable weight, unable to analyze it or get a grip on it or rid yourself of it. And no one could help you with it.
Until a man came and, taking your burden as if it weighed hardly anything, carried it up and across a range of mountains.
On his climb, a seductive woman, a woman called Justice, intercepted him. She reasoned with him, saying, ‘The one whose burden you carry doesn’t deserve your efforts. Lay down the weight, and stop your journey in the name of fairness.’
Your man kept going.
By and by he passed through a desert, traversing its barrenness for days on end. Under the scorching sun, a strapping young man called Reality 
approached him. ‘You’re carrying that heavy weight for someone who won’t even appreciate what you’re doing. Not only that, he won’t always relieve others of their burdens, even when given the chance. Let me take care of it for you right now. You won’t have to carry it any farther.’
Acknowledging the young man, your burden bearer nevertheless persevered. Soon he came upon a deep forest, so thick that sunlight could scarcely penetrate it. An old man with many years of experience in the world met up with him. The graybeard was called Restitution. ‘You,’ said the elderly man, ‘with that burden on your back. I see that you’re very determined, since you have made it this far. But realizing all the work this requires of you, you must go to the owner of this burden and make him pay for the relief you have provided.’
But the burden bearer passed through the forest without stopping.
Soon he came to the end of his journey. He had gone as far west as he 
possibly could. There he faced the deepest of oceans.
He removed your burden and threw it into the heart of that sea, where to this day it is still sinking.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).
“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).
[excerpt from Imagine Meeting Him, by Robert Rasmussen, 1998 Multnomah Publishers, pp. 169-170]
photo credit: unbelievablefacts.com
The oil lamp flickered well into the night. Martha and Lazarus were asleep, and the house was quiet as Mary took up her stylus and poured out her thoughts to the Lord. What flowed onto the page was a conversation that set her free…
O Lord, it greatly heartens me to think upon your words, for you told me you enjoyed my presence more than noble works. But I must tell you honestly, I find it very hard to know I’ve really chosen what you call “the better part.”
I envy the accomplishments, the good that others do; I don’t have much to offer to prove my love for you. The looks I get from others, my feeling of fatigue–could it be I’m not the person you think you see in me?Child, I tell you now in stillness what I said among the din–the only thing I look for is a longing heart within. I’m not looking for performance. I don’t care if you’re the best. I desire your companionship. I want to give you rest.
That you could want my company, though I struggle so, is a greater gift of comfort than you could ever know. O Savior, take my sadness, my ever-wand’ring heart, and forever reassure me that it is the better part.
The turmoil of your inner life will rarely settle down; chaos and confusion will always come around. But you can learn to rest while striving, sit while standing tall. I promise I’ll be listening, no matter when you call. So come aside and learn of me; there’s room here at my feet. Your tender heart’s desire is the only thing I need. I tell you now in stillness what I said among the din–the only thing I look for is a longing heart within.
Luke 10:38-42
FOR REFLECTION: Do I give myself permission to receive Christ’s compliments even though I still struggle in my walk with Him?
[excerpt from Imagine Meeting Him, by Robert Rasmussen, 1998 Multnomah Publishers, p.57-58]