Month: June 2013

Close Enough: The Benefits of Imperfection

On By Charis PsalloIn Just folks, Photography12 Comments
Stars and Bucks
Stars and Bucks

Perhaps the reason we see so few essays on the benefits of close enough is that those writers who understand that the wide-spread application of excellence burns entirely too many calories and occupies more than it’s fair share of active brain space have already moved on to more interesting topics -because they can.

Some things need perfection: open-heart surgery, bridgework (both dental and municipal) pouring foundations, keeping books, inspecting nuclear power plants, maintaining aircraft. Some things don’t: tossing out ideas, telling stories, breaking traditions, playing T-ball, making beds, smoothing ruffled feathers and serving pretty good American-style coffee in the Middle East.

Teachers sometimes struggle with resisting the temptation to hang one more suggestion on a student’s performance or project. Of course, everything can be improved, but sometimes close enough is good enough for now. We all need to extend ourselves enough grace to simply enjoy what we have accomplished so far. Not everything needs the albatross of potential hanging around its neck.

Sign it. Stick it on the fridge and let’s go for coffee.

Charis

Not One Blade of Grass

On By Charis PsalloIn Fields, Photography4 Comments
On the Cowboy Trail, Alberta
On the Cowboy Trail, Alberta

There is not one blade of grass,

there is no color in this world

that is not intended to make us rejoice.

-John Calvin

 

 

 

The Power of Gentleness

On By Charis PsalloIn Flowers, Music, Photography13 Comments

IMG_1785 rosebuds 3 ch

You have given me the shield of your salvation,     

and your right hand supported me,     

and your gentleness made me great.

(Psalm 18:35)

He could have blasted us right out of our seats if he wanted to. Instead he sang with the most exquisitely sensitive pianissimo. He made us want to lean forward and be willing to strain to hear every note. I was privileged to hear a recital given in our small local theatre by one of the world’s greatest tenors. These guys have  powerful voices that can easily carry over a large orchestra with significant brass sections. I have heard that the easiest way to obtain tickets to hear him in Bayreuth in Europe is to inherit them, but he often does concerts in the type of small remote Canadian town he grew up in, in town halls with less than perfect acoustics and accompanied by pianos usually banged upon by reluctant nine-year old recitalists. God bless Ben Heppner for honouring his roots. Every once in a while that voice would totally fill the room and ring with the power and beauty that made him famous, but it was the still small perfectly controlled sound that impressed me. Such musicality. Power under control. Gentleness.

Somehow gentleness becomes greatness only when it is connected to power.

I once watched a young singer walk away from a music competition looking very discouraged. I knew he didn’t understand the reason for the judge’s harsh critique so I spoke to him, hoping to encourage his pursuit of developing a considerable talent. (Alas, I have witnessed far too many judges who seem to feel their role is to cut down the field to the very best of the very best, rather than encourage all young musicians to enjoy music and to aspire to be the best they can be.) The baritone had a powerful voice that could shake the rafters, and like many young singers who discover they have a range and a power that is the envy of the less endowed, he was tempted to sing “blastissimo” to show it off, even though the song he sang was about wooing a young maiden.

After chatting and telling him I admired his voice he asked me what I thought of his performance. I told him I was indeed impressed with his obvious strength and then winked and said, “A woman may be very impressed by your muscles, but you will win her  heart more thoroughly with gentleness and self-control than with your fists. ”

I guess I spoke his language, because he then went on to give me entirely too much information about his love life, which essentially can be boiled down to, “My girlfriend admires my body-builder physique and that I can protect her from any guy in the bar, but she says it is my gentleness in bed that pleases her most.”

He understood the advice instantly -and went home to work on his dynamic range. A comment about the spirit of gentleness on an earlier blog reminded me of this conversation (and set me to blushing again) but there is a strong connection between power and gentleness.

Power is task oriented and gentleness is relationship oriented. Power gets the job done, but gentleness demonstrates love and uses no more power or strength or authority than is necessary. Gentleness includes consideration of another person’s sensitivities and weaknesses as well as their strengths. A good daddy applies a different level of gentleness when cuddling his baby boy than he does play-wrestling with his four-year old or teaching his adolescent self-defence skills, but all of them require a restraint of the kind of power that would show up should an evil person threaten his child.

We all long to be protected, but we also need to know we are safe. Gentleness is not wimpiness. The juxtaposition of the symbolic language of violence in Psalm 18 gives all the more strength to the phrase, “Your gentleness has made me great.” The Creator of the universe could blast us right out of our seats with a whisper, but he knows that we are as frail as a woodland rosebud. He cradles us, provokes us, and trains us with no more power than is essential to help us develop every talent he has given us to be the people he intended us to be. He sets the example for how leaders in the church are to teach, encourage and correct, with a spirit of gentleness based on relationship -and backed by authority and power in Christ Jesus.

His gentleness makes us great.

Standout

On By Charis PsalloIn Flowers, Uncategorized10 Comments
Standout
Standout

Sometimes standing up means standing out.

Humility is not the same thing as shyness.

Humility is knowing who you are and who you are becoming.

The humble have no need to seek attention because they know God loves them

and that’s enough;

for the same reason they have no need to hide.

Grace Abounding

On By Charis PsalloIn Flowers, Photography, Trees and forests9 Comments
Wild Rose
Wild Rose

 

There are roses blooming deep in the forest today. They bloom whether anyone recognizes their beauty or not. They are simply an expression of a Creator who is not on a budget.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you,

so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times,

you may abound in every good work.

(2 Corinthians 9:8)

Deep Woods Roses
Deep Woods Roses

Pasture

On By Charis PsalloIn Animals, Fields, Mountains, Photography8 Comments

Grazing

On my walk this evening.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
    the hills gird themselves with joy

(Psalm 65:12 ESV)

Creation and creatures applaud you, God;

Your holy people bless you.

(Psalm 145:10 The Message)

Pasture
Pasture

Whole hearted

On By Charis PsalloIn Flowers, Photography5 Comments
Red Peony
Red Peony

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

(Psalm 9:1,2)

Wanderings

On By Charis PsalloIn Black and white, Fields, Mountains, Photography4 Comments
Wanderings
Wanderings

You have taken account of my wanderings;

Put my tears in Your bottle.

Are they not in Your book?

Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call;

This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

In the Lord, whose word I praise,

In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

(Psalm 56:8-11)

Presumptuous

On By Charis PsalloIn Fields, Mountains, Photography, Sky, Uncategorized6 Comments

I hear the people calling, “We want more of you, God!”

I hear God whispering, “I want more of you, people.”

Big Sky, Little House
Big Sky, Little House

Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me..

(Psalm 119:12,13a)

Presumptuous sin: Calling on God to fulfill our plans instead of our being willing to lay down all we have to fulfill His.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

On By Charis PsalloIn Fields, Mountains, Photography7 Comments

22x faded blue hills pasture ex-bees DSC_0198

Some people are so encouraging. Sometimes we don’t even notice how gifted they are until after we walk away feeling more capable and built up by their ability to see what God sees in us. It is then that we feel a bond of love and appreciation toward them.

Here’s a secret for those of you seeking mates. We tend to fall in love with people who help us like ourselves. We long to be around those who respect us and who let us see our own beauty reflected in their eyes. The fun part is that when we learn to bring out the best in people, amazingly, they tend to see the best in us.

When we need to correct our children or our employees or the ones we are privileged to mentor the goal is not to impress them with our competence, but rather to give them an enhanced vision of their own capabilities. This is building people up rather than tearing them down with harsh criticism that comes from a need to prove ourselves.

The reward for winning the game of King of the Hill is possessing the mound alone. The reward for lifting someone else up the hill is that they ask us to join them in their rejoicing on the mountain top. This is the fruit of grace.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)