The oil is You....

My Eyes Are Dry is a wonderful worship song written by Keith Green. It reminds me of a conversation I had about the length of time it takes to see change. Sometimes change can be sudden. But, more times than not, change truly (true change) takes time.

Just a few months ago we went to buy Seth a new ball glove. He has a great glove he loves, but since he was going to be catching he needed a catchers mitt. So we tried it on, found a good one and purchased the glove and and some oil and headed home. Did you know I was told that maybe that glove would be ready by next year! Seriously, it's too stiff and we have oiled it and oiled it and oiled it. We have drug the glove to all the ball fields with us and used it A LOT. But, change, the softening? It takes time. So we thankful to be able to use the coaches old softened glove for games and we spend a lot of time working on the new one. And while working on that new one he has the example of a soft yielding glove, knowledge of what his new glove needs to become.

We sang this song in worship a few weeks ago and it really hit me at the truth. God can bring about change! God is the oil and He softens our hearts. I think sometimes we are immediately softened. Whether it be by past conditioning or circumstance or experience, sometimes we yield quickly to God. And if we flip that? We know that sometimes it takes time to soften a heart, it takes lots of conditioning and circumstances and sometimes even experience to bring about that heart. Thankfully, like that old glove, we have examples of soft yielding Spirits, we know what we need to become.

I have to remind myself often of this as I raise children. So often as I wait on brothers and sisters in Christ I need to pray for the yielding that only God's Spirit can bring to our lives.

Without God, without His Spirit, without His love we are dry, old, hard, and cold. With God we can be anew, what a blessing we are given!!

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of Love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your blood