To Read on the Journey

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Being Made Real

From the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
A conversation between Rabbit and the Skin Horse-

"
What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day. 
"Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"  
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real."  
"Does it hurt?"  
"Sometimes." For he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen to people who break to easily, or who have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.".... 
The rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him.  He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad.  He wished he could become it without these uncomfortable things happening to him.


This... this "being made real" is motherhood.
This love that happens to you. 
The bit by bit, long time of becoming.
This body; physically, emotionally, spiritually~ no. longer. mine.  
Uncomfortably, wonderfully, mysteriously, graciously~TRANSFORMED!
By their love.
And this... this is understanding tangibly what it is to be made real in Christ.
To grasp His love that happens to you. 
His "the old has gone the new has come."
His "though we are wasting away outwardly, inwardly we are being renewed."
The uncomfortable, wonderful, mysterious, graciousness of  Life-giver who TRANSFORMS me...
Transforms you!
By His love. 


It is a very Happy Mother's Day Indeed!

 

5 comments:

Alana said...

Beautiful!

Linda Z said...

Hi, Friend! Guess what... I'm blogging again! I'm a little nervous... but hopefully it's like riding a bike! Ironically enough, my first post also has a Velveteen Rabbit quote, and I wrote it 2 weeks ago! Crazy, huh?

Anyway, I look forward to connecting again in "blogland." I've missed it, but I have lurked on your blog many a time, cause you are just too cute and I learn so much and am encouraged by you! When you posted "significant," I wanted to yell clear to Oakdale how significant your life is! God has used your life in mine so many times!! :)

Simply Sara said...

how do you do it?

how do your words always touch the depth of my heart?

i love you.

i love that i am being made real.
by my children.
and by my Jesus.

xoxo

Jessica Johnson said...

my husband preached on this very topic yesterday! amen x 437!! :) happy mother's day!

Janelle said...

I am with Sara. How do you do it? Each one more beautiful than the last.

Your heart is shining!!