“What
do you mean?” asked the mother
“He’s
just lying there on the floor all flat with nothing in him. Is he dead?” The girl asked
“Oh
no sweetie, That's all he's got...He needs someone inside of him to bring him to life.” The mother explained.
A mom of a preschooler shared this story a few years ago. Her 2 ½ year old daughter had found her
brother’s costume tossed on the floor the day after Halloween. ...so what's my point in sharing this story?...
A while back, my daughter and I were noticing how depleted and worn we felt and there appeared to be no end in sight. Recalling the mom's story, I simply said to her, “Sometimes, it just feels like we’re skin on the floor and that’s about all we’ve got.” With a sideways smile she responded, “Yep…that is about sums it up, mom.” Seasons like that seem to show up in the soul on occasion, leaving us feeling somewhat empty. Those are often the days when we wake up wondering if we have what it takes to do the next 24 hours and hope somehow to find Heaven's breath in us because all of the sudden we are keenly aware that we need something MORE than ourselves inside of us to bring us to life. They are the days that remind us that God is God and we are not.
Sometimes we are just "skin on the floor" and I bet that God prefers
it that way - not because he is cruel or enjoys watching us suffer, but because he knows what it takes for us to finally surrender to his better ways and find the life we are looking for. How else would we ever
notice our total need for Him and openly receive what He has to offer? Trading our life for His (Luke 17:33) isn't all that attractive when things are going along nicely and we feel confident in our own resources. After all, who needs "Heaven's breath" when we are breathing just fine on our own? To the degree that I believe I am competent
is often the degree to which I believe I do not need God. ...Ouch!A while back, my daughter and I were noticing how depleted and worn we felt and there appeared to be no end in sight. Recalling the mom's story, I simply said to her, “Sometimes, it just feels like we’re skin on the floor and that’s about all we’ve got.” With a sideways smile she responded, “Yep…that is about sums it up, mom.” Seasons like that seem to show up in the soul on occasion, leaving us feeling somewhat empty. Those are often the days when we wake up wondering if we have what it takes to do the next 24 hours and hope somehow to find Heaven's breath in us because all of the sudden we are keenly aware that we need something MORE than ourselves inside of us to bring us to life. They are the days that remind us that God is God and we are not.
Coming to the end of our personal (without-God) capacity, postures our heart so we can finally say, “Lord, I need your grace right now, to do what I know I must and to live in the way you have called me to live. My flesh is weak, its worn, and fails often, but your Spirit in me holds heaven’s resources at its fingertips. That is my only hope – it’s what I am banking on! And it is more than enough... it is the promise of Christ! You are Immanuel – God WITH me! Carry me, move me, become my words and act through me. I am skin on the floor, I lay myself down to be fully inhabited by you.”
I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD" Ezekiel 37
Just like that abandoned costume, when we abandon ourselves and become “Skin on the floor” God has all the room He needs to bring us to life. “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule." (Matt 5:3) And just like the boy, when God is allowed to “wear” us, His resources become ours and we move and act like him with energy, strength and love we never knew we had.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ
lives in me. The life I now live in the
body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for
me. – Gal 2:20
