Burying Our Swords: How Christ Can Remove Rebellion from Our Hearts by Kevin Hinckley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this book. It was
actually published the very year that events began to happen which in
2011 would cause me to need this very counsel to bury OUR swords of
"war".
This is short, easy to read, told in story format book
about how even thought other people make decisions that cause us great
hurt and pain, and even though that hurt and pain cause ripples in our
lives and those of the extended circles in our lives, it is nevertheless
OUR responsibility to do what WE can do to overcome, to forgive, to
trust, to believe, to hold to hope, and to never give up doing the right
thing. We cannot control others. We can, however, control how we react
to the effect of others' behaviors. Therein lies the secret to success
if we are seeking peace and joy in this life.
No one is
perfect,we all make bad choices (though to varying degrees for sure)
that affect us and those around us, and we are not better than any other
person to presume that we do not "deserve" to be hurt by others.
Therefore, we are left with choices to make. How will we react when
another person's behavior affects us so negatively and painfully? There
are really only "two roads that diverge" down that path: we can hold
grudges, rancor, hatred, pain etc, inside and live with the effects of
all those, or we can choose to bury OUR "swords of war" and choose
forgiveness, healing, true Christlike love (aka: charity), and keeping
hope not only in ourselves and our Savior but in the very person who
hurt us as well. Oh yes, it is super hard to do that. And honestly, it
comes in stages, as we work on it. But to never give up that hope is key
to the story of our success. The book doesn't really say these words,
but it does in its own way. The message is the same: we can only control
ourselves and how we react to what life hands us. Why spend years in
pain when we can life with joy, peace and hope instead?
One of the many favorite passages from the book:
"As
Sherry sat down the teacher was how to carefully prepare pottery clay
for the wheel. She had taken some ordinary clay was carefully washing it
in the water. She describes how dirt and impurities would ultimately
cause the pot to crack if they weren't removed; for this reason the raw
clay needed to be completely washed and clean first. The teacher was
also explaining that even after the clay was washed it would still
contain dirt particles. For that reason the clay had to be firmly rolled
and kneaded to remove the remaining dirt, which was hidden deep inside.
She firmly massaged the newly-washed clay over and over and over like a
lump of dough. In fact, explained the teacher, in ancient times they
often stepped and stomped on the clay with their feet, similar to how
they crushed grapes for wine. This is where the Biblical expression
"being trodden underfoot" comes from. And you thought they did it just
to grapes, didn't you?
"The longer the teacher worked the clay,
the softer and more pliable the clay became. The result was clay that
was not only pure and clean, but it was also soft enough to be molded.
"Hey, I recognize this process," Sherry thought with her heart beginning
to pound. The Potter had taken the 'dust of the earth' and washed it in
Living Water, and was now preparing to mold it into something much
better than it had been before. And no one beside the Potter knew what
the end product would actually look like.
"Now she was excited.
She remembered a scripture she'd read earlier. As the pottery class
progressed the scripture's significance kept tumbling over and over in
Sherry's mind. "But now O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the clay,
and Thou our Potter, and we all are the work of Thine hand." (Isaiah
64:8)......
"Sherry's thoughts were interrupted by the
enthusiastic voice of the instructor. She was saying, "And now we are
ready to place the clay on the wheel." She went on to explain the
importance of placing the clay in the exact center of the wheel. In
order to demonstrate why centering was so significant, she placed part
of the clay slightly off-center. When the wheel began to spin the
off-center clay began immediately to wobble and sag on one side. The
faster the wheel turned, the more the clay was pulled farther and
farther away from the middle. Finally, the misshapen clay just snapped
and fell off the wheel completely. Secretly, Sherry actually found
herself feeling sorry for a deformed piece of clay. It had been cleansed
and purified and placed on the wheel to become what it was supposed to
be. Then, when it had gotten off-center, only just a little, now it
would have to be discarded. Seemed like such a huge penalty for a tiny
flaw.....
"In a flash, she saw Kyle's life in miniature. He, too,
had gotten off-center just a little. As he did, the forces of the
world's wheel began to pull him farther and farther off-course, until
he, too, spun off altogether......
"Looking up, however, Sherry
noticed that the teacher had taken the clay that had snapped off the
wheel and was now carefully rejoining it with the rest of the clay in
her hand. "Remember," she said, "clay that's still soft and flexible can
be reworked as much as you need to. Don't be too quick to give up on
it, even when the clay seems stiff and resistant. Allow it to soften up
and try again. It may require a number of tries, but I keep working the
clay until it becomes exactly what it should be." That phrase began to
echo in Sherry's mind. "I keep working the clay until it becomes exactly
what it should be."
"Under the expert hands of the potter, the
clay was remolded and firmly placed back on the wheel. The wheel began
to spin again, this time the clay was held firmly between the teacher's
hands and remained perfectly centered, regardless of what the wheel did.
Now, the same forces that had pulled the smaller piece of clay off the
wheel, were helping to produce its distinct shape. It became obvious
that the clay, with the help of the potter, simply needed these forces
to be transformed. Finally, the teacher began shaping the clay in
earnest. She worked first, not on the outside shape, but with the
inside. Looking up, the instructor pointed out, "You always begin with
the inside, or the inner vessel. The inner vessel determines a great
deal about how the outside will appear." As the wheel began to spin, the
gray-haired instructor took a moment to address the class. "I
understand most of us buy pottery based on what it looks like on the
outside, certainly we're drawn to the outer beauty. However, a good
potter looks at the inner part of the vessel first, it's that crucial
inner part that creates the real strength and enables the pot's outer
beauty to form. When you know what you're looking for you'll end up
passing up on a lot of "pretty pots", that are weakly formed and will
crack the first time they are used. The greatest pots are those that
have been carefully molded in ways that are not visible from the
outside." Sherry sat motionless. Her eyes transfixed on the spinning
clay. As the teacher predicted, the outer shell began to take shape as
the instructor carefully worked the inside. Turn by turn, the careful
hands of the teacher used the spinning of the wheel to form the
beautiful, distinctive shape of the urn. The urn had simply 'emerged'
from the shapeless lump of clay. When the wheel finally stopped, the
teacher held it up for the class to see. Staring at the finished urn,
Sherry felt an impression form in her mind. It's said simply but
clearly, "Sherry, the real Potter loves all His creations. He never
gives up on them. He's the One who knows what we can be. You need to
trust Him to do His work." Along with the voice, she also felt a sense
of calm and peace settling over her. Sadness was still there, but it
seemed tolerable next to the overflowing calming peace."
View all my reviews
