I loved my grandmother's house. I loved the way it looked and smelled and the way it was cool and dark in the hot humid summers. I loved sitting on her front porch rocking away in one of her sturdy green rocking chairs during thunderstorms and feeling so safe!
My grandmother's house was really nothing special... not fancy or palatial. Really very ordinary!!!
But to me, it was a treasure trove of beautiful things... unusual and old things. I spent many hours in her attic trying on her flapper wedding gown and looking through old photos and yellowed newspaper clippings. Each piled-to-the-ceiling box held mysterious things from ages past just waiting to be discovered...
Nani had the most wonderful collection of flamingo figurines I have ever seen. Big flamingos and teeny tiny flamingos... all pink and posed! And to a little girl they were breathtaking!
She collected them on her once-a-year trips to Florida. And for some odd reason they were her prized possessions.
She collected them on her once-a-year trips to Florida. And for some odd reason they were her prized possessions.
They were set apart from all the other chachkas in her house... they were special to my grandmother and we all knew it...
In a funny way, my grandmother's flamingos remind me of the word holy!
The Hebrew word for holy is QODESH (kaw-doshe').
It is the the idea of something being "set apart". It also means "other than".
God is HOLY...
Because the Scripture says, "You must be holy because I am holy".
1 Peter 1:16
God is holy... set apart. But set apart or other than what? God is "set apart" from all creation, both seen and unseen. He is totally "other than" anything else... anything!
He can not be related to in the way we relate to the world around us because he is outside of it... all of it! He is holy!
God is perfect and pure. He is unstained by the sin of the world. He is holy because holiness is part of His character. Holiness is who and what He is!
In my grandmother's house, her flamingos were set apart... they were special. So special that they were separate and put up high in a china cabinet just for them. They were the only things off limit in her home. They were unlike anything else she owned.
God and my grandmother's flamingos! Such an unlikely analogy!!!!
Now here where the comparison ends... and this is so interesting...
God is holy and He wants us to be holy too!
He wants us to be "set apart" from this world too! We cannot be like God and be "other than" the world in a physical sense... but we can be "set apart" and "other than" in a spiritual one!
God calls us to be SANCTIFIED... a Christian word for the process of becoming holy. Being holy is a lifelong process. It is the process of looking and acting less and less like the base things of this world and acting and looking more and more like Jesus.
God wants us to live for Him and do His will and act like Him in all situations. It is a commitment! A big and wonderful commitment!
He asks us to be holy... to give up our selfish and sinful ways and live like Jesus did when he was on earth.
If we have bowed our knee to Jesus... giving our lives to the Savior of our souls... we have already stared the process of holiness!
Is it a process of denying self... you bet! Not only denying selfish ways but putting those ways to death. Letting them no longer have power or purpose in our lives. Sanctification, becoming holy, is the process of looking like our Lord.
That is what holy means.
We are to be holy and look like our Father, God... because He is holy!
We are to be holy and look like our Father, God... because He is holy!
When my grandmother went to heaven her precious flamingo collection was split up and many members of her family got a prized flamingo! Because it was so special to her, my flamingo has become so special to me too!
Someday, when I have grandbabies, this funny little figurine will be a wonderful object lesson in God's holiness.
Thank you for a most appropriate comment today. Blessings to you and your family today.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteGood message, holy to me means being our personal best, being kind and being the change we want to see in the world (Ghandi)!
ReplyDeleteThis post is a great reminder for me today. To strive to be holy, as He is holy. To be a witness where ever I am.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a wonderful post. I needed to read this. God used you to speak to my heart. I appreciate your boldness in Christ to use your blog to reach out, and bless others for Christ.
Debbie
xo
Thank you for your words, Yvonne, and especiallyfor the analogy of holy with flamingoes. That just put a smile on my face today seeing all those special figurines of your Nani and how much she loved them, which made yours special for that reason. May we all strive our best, on a daily basis, to be holy.
ReplyDeleteDear One, Thank you for this message. Being Holy can only come from the shed blood of Christ covering our sins. Amen. It is through Him that we can be Holy. Some people don't understand that their own goodness just doesn't cut the mustard. It's as filthy rags. One can never be holy or good enough without Jesus. Many don't like this truth...it ercks them that they cannot do this on their own power. I love you and your beautiful blog.
ReplyDeleteWe lost our nephew this week. He was training to be a navy pilot. He got his wings posthumously. I told his sister that he earned two sets that day. Knowing that only angels actually get wings because they were created by God, it did comfort us. I, also, think that God was reaching out to me through you to comfort me. I felt the same way about my grandmother's house. Only her "holy" things were her kindergarten supplies in her attic. I treasure her record "The Teddy Bears Picnic" as you do the flamingos. I know she is in heaven waiting for my nephew.
ReplyDeleteSetting ourselves apart is difficult. It's easy for us to give into the temptations of this world. Yet when we do and strive to be holy, the peace and joy is much greater than anything this world has to offer. Thank you for always striving to keep us on the path. I for one, need to be reminded often.
ReplyDeleteBig Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
What a wonderful way to explain being holy. This post made me also reflect on my mawmaw and how she had two wooden green rockers on her porch. we spent many hours rocking and talking on that porch.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a wonderful week,
Melissa
This reminds me of a song sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, "Take Time To Be Holy".I think it is on YouTube as well.
ReplyDeleteHere are the words.
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Yvonne Dear, How your Nani loved you, and would be so touched by your words today. Yes, we all laughed at how she loved her flamingos. But she loved all her children and grandchildren so much more. She took time to be Holy in her love for us all. I still have two flamingos....the nicest and largest of them all. One for you and one for me. You can choose first. We'll find a special place for them, always to remind us of my beautiful Mother and your Nani. Love Mother
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yvonne! It's always nice to read a refresher! I have written a few lines of what you wrote on an index card as a reminder of what holiness is. It's not an easy road to walk on!
ReplyDelete