Thursday, May 30, 2013

Embossed With Love

"Let love and faithfullness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart."
Proverbs 3:3


That lovely green piece of metal is Mom's slate and the tool with the worn wooden handle is her stylus. They are used for writing Braille and this set dates back to her college days. Braille is written on cardstock weight paper--strong enough to handle the embossing without being pierced through and the heavy-weight paper holds the shape of the raised dots better than notebook paper. It can stand up to multiple readings but is not read until the writing is done because it is embossed so the writer is writing on the backside of the paper (and backwards, BTW.)

I think the tablet of my heart must be just as sturdy. God is faithful but sometimes the only way to learn this is through trials. His stylus embosses our tablet and it may hurt but when we turn the tablet over, when we see the other side, there written on our heart is a message of love. It will stand up to multiple readings because it needs to. 

One of the things that can destroy Braille is water. When I worked in a class for blind students one of them was quite upset one day because he had to re-do his homework. The page had gotten wet and illegible from the rain. That happens to our hearts too. Tears and sorrow drown out the message. Instead of another trial though, God just gently replaces the dots, reminding us of His faithfulness. 

Braille can get worn down. I'm not sure how many readings an average page has but over time and if the reader scrubs the page rather than skims it gently the raised dots can get flattened. While He will always be faithful, the message can get dulled by life's circumstances. Rough handling of our hearts (i.e. carelessness) dulls us and the message isn't as easy to read anymore. We need to be careful how we live and continue to be in fellowship with Him through reading His Word and prayer. These things reinforce the message. 

If God's writing on your heart today and it hurts a little, just wait. Let Him finish. The message on the other side is worth it.

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