May 23 - Many Dimensions

May 23 - Many Dimensions - 2 Timothy 2: 1-7

Diane says:
In just a few words, Paul says so much to Timothy. He begins by telling Timothy to be strong and then sets up the 'mission by multiplication' formula that through the centuries has connected even us to Paul. What Timothy heard him say should be shared with others, who will then teach to others. Through the links of personal testimony and teaching, after 2000 years, we have received the word of God from Paul.

In the next three verses, Paul tells Timothy to persevere even though he faces difficult times using three metaphors: the soldier who has a single purpose, the athlete who abides by the rules and the farmer who will certainly receive a reward for a job well done.

And if Timothy has any doubt about Paul's words, time spent with the Lord will help him to understand what is important.

Rebecca says:
I've taken up a little side hobby. For years I have written children’s books but they stayed in notebooks because I can't draw. But, I decided to finally take a stab at drawing some of the illustrations. Surprisingly it is really quite fun once I stop striving for perfection. The first few drawings weren't the best; they were flat and boring. Then I got brave and decided to try adding a little dimension to it and it has made all the difference.

Multi dimensional drawings, even juvenile ones, are actually kind of hard for me because I have to really factor in a lot of things. Size, scale, perspective, in these details the buildings and ladybugs begin to take shape and create pictures that resemble the images in my mind while I was writing the stories.

This whole multi dimensional stuff has really opened my eyes to a new side of life that I guess I kind of took for granted. If it is difficult for me to draw a city or forest with a pencil and paper I can't imagine the creative genius behind the dimensions that weave us together. God is truly an artist and when He created us He didn’t take the easy route and leave us as flat little stick figures but He ingeniously engineered layer upon layer of our lives to make us multidimensional.

As I read this passage from Timothy, I wondered why Paul would use the metaphor of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer all within the same passage. I mean how are they linked? What similarities do any of them have? And so I broke each one down and realized they are a representation of layers in our life, metaphors for our various dimensions that God created.

When I think of soldiers I think of enlistment, brave young men and women willingly signing up to join the ranks and fight a battle to defend our country. It is a role that one walks into hopefully by choice but often through obligations, family tradition, or even in times of distress by force. And so I could see how that easily translates to religion, how often we too voluntarily step into roles in our churches, or congregations hopefully by choice but often through obligation, family tradition and in times of distress by force.

And when I asked myself what separated an athlete from a regular Joe Schmoe I surmise that it is because of hard work, dedication, training, refining of a natural talent and hard hard work day in and day out. An athlete takes a natural gift or ability and refines it to such a level that it becomes something so extraordinary it could win a crown or a trophy.

And a farmer... yes he was the easiest dimension to relate to because farming is really as natural to all of us as breathing and blinking. Often we are so accustomed to farming that we forget we are doing it. Day after day with our words, and choices, and gifts, and talents, and choices we sow and then reap, sow and then reap and it is impossible to make it stop. At our very core we are farmers and that is most certainly a dimension that is such a part of us that often we forget it even exists.

Each of us has these dimensions; soldier, athlete, farmer - they are woven together and represent facets of our lives. I am astonished at Paul’s wisdom in capturing it so clearly. Each of them are intricate parts that weave together the beauty of the human form and without one or the other we are less than all that God created us to be.

I imagine that for Timothy overwhelmed by the nature of the task that before him, might easily put on his little soldier cap and pour all his efforts into this one little dimension for quite some time. He might become stringent and posed for battle and take on strategic stances and lines of defense.

He could refine his gifts and become disciplined and stretch and strain every spiritual muscle and gift he had and forget all about the other two dimensions. Or he could get caught up in planting seed after seed in the hopes of sprouting a spiritual garden in Ephesus and neglect the soldier and athlete inside. But because of Paul’s God-given wisdom, he is reminded to nurture and cultivate not just one part but all three so that he might be multidimensional and experience the fullness the God intended.

I’m the type of girl that doesn’t like wearing lots of different hats at the same time. I have a tendency to latch on to one dimension and ride it out until my legs are sore and the saddle is worn. I often dive in and overdevelop one part of my character while neglecting the others, yet I strive to find balance so that they might all exist cohesively. Each dimension in our lives add a different flavor to this walk we are taking. Every layer has different perspectives, and requires scaling and resizing to make it all work together. Paul must have known that and gave us this little reminder, but what I love the best is the very end of this particular passage. "Reflect on what I am saying, the Lord will give you insight into all of this."

Thank goodness for a God who does not ever let us remain flat and boring just because we don’t get it. All we have to do is take a second every now and then to reflect and God so lovingly jumps right in and erases the little stick figures we become and makes us a body with arms and legs and cute little eyelashes that blink, blink, blink. How grateful I am that He is such a creative genius and how lucky we are that He never lets us forget it!