30 Jun 2021 A work in progress

Posted at 1:49 PMh in Faith by

By Laurie Green

I love to look at people’s collections when given the opportunity. I wish I could say that I was a collector, but the truth is, collecting is hard work and I’m a bit of a procrastinator. Who am I kidding? I’m a TOTAL procrastinator, so I stick to being a viewer of others’ treasures.

However, my daughter Brittainy is the complete opposite of a procrastinator and she has a massive collection of nesting dolls. I think she got her first one when she was about 10 and she hasn’t stopped collecting them since. At 25, you can imagine how impressive her collection has become.

Honestly before this issue on collections, the truth is I never gave these nesting dolls much thought (other than she had a lot of them). But as I started looking, I found it interesting that each doll is completely different, but they are all unmistakably similar when it comes to what makes them a nesting doll.

If you do a quick Google search on nesting dolls, you can find all kinds of interesting facts about them. Undoubtedly the most important element of the dolls is the wood used to create them. Once the type of wood has been selected, the process then involves each trunk being cut from the top and bottom and then examined to see if the wood is fit to be carved into the nesting doll. After the selection and inspection, the logs are arranged and aired out for one to two years! Why such a long process? Because the crafter knows they need a solid foundation to make the dolls strong.

This is the same way it is with our faith. We need a good, strong foundation to make sure we can withstand the elements of this life we are living. I have learned over the years this is also a long process that sometimes takes years to develop.

An area that I constantly seem to be working on is remembering scripture. I know that Hebrews 4:12 tells me the word of God is quick, and powerful … so it’s something I often try to work on remembering. Seriously, how many of you can relate with me that you can remember every lyric to almost every ’80s song, but when it comes to retaining scripture, we just go blank? I just wish my brain worked the other way around because I’m not sure being able to belt out a bad karaoke version of Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” has the same effect as being able to quote some life-giving scripture.

Look, I’ve been a follower of Jesus for quite a few years now, but learning scripture is still a work in progress for me. I’ve been known to avoid group Bible studies because I feel like I’m unequipped. I share this with you because I’ve learned that typically if I’m struggling with an issue, chances are I’m not alone in the struggle. But there is strength in standing on top of your weakness instead of being crushed underneath it.

I know that God is not done with me yet; I am certainly still work in progress. But just like that beautiful collection of nesting dolls, I feel like as Jesus completes one tiny part of me, he has already started on the next layer that will surround that portion and continue until I grow to a completed representation of a woman with strong faith and a solid foundation.

Laurie Green
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