Impressive People

As I was singing the following hymn, "At the Feet of Jesus" this morning in order to prepare for prayer, I came across this verse which immediately reminded me of my friend Heidi, who is going today to be the first of a series of Impressive People on my blog.:

In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true;
Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour;
Let His will enfold you in its light and power.

Heidi has had an interesting and at times difficult life. She lives in Utah and comes partly from Mormon family roots. But our Living God did not let her stay there because her name was written in His Book. One day I hope she will write her testimony on her blog, here: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=bunsofaluminum. (I haven't learned how to list my friends' blogs yet, patience...)

About two years ago, God began a major pruning in Heidi's life. One difficulty after another brought her and her family to a desperate place. All this time, she knew what was going on and, sweetheart that she is, she did everything she could to submit to whatever the Lord asked of her, trusting in Him, knowing that His will was good for her. Then she had One Of Those Days where it just seems that everything possible goes wrong. She was in the process of moving her family from one state to another, and trying to work out all those logistical niggly details that go along with it and seemingly being thwarted at every turn. She was on the freeway, on a tight schedule and with many responsibilities, when her car broke down. It was the last straw. She managed to pull the car over, and at the end of her rope, simply cried out to God,

"Lord! I need Your will!"

That is the prayer of someone who walks with God! Heidi was simply at a point where she knew that God was putting her in a very difficult place, and that only He knew the way out of it. She had spent much time making very specific prayers to Him for many things that she needed, but it seemed as though few of them were panning out. She had no idea what He was doing now, but she had the acuity to realise that discipline was in there, the kind of incredibly loving discipline that only God can mete out. It was the sort of discipline that the sculptor applies to a block of clay: with swift and painful strokes He cut away what didn't look like Christ, in order to build a beautiful daughter for Himself, a work of heavenly Art. And Heidi let him do it. She was still, weeping, sitting in her dead car, and let him do His work. And He did.

What the Lord excises, He binds up. In this case it happened almost immediately. He sent a kindly person to stop and help her. Don't you dare tell Heidi that 'people are kind'. She knows that God is the prompter of all timely kindness.

I hope I can be more like Heidi, which is really to be more like Christ. She isn't a perfect person, not yet, and there are still issues she struggles with. I've hardly yet met a person who is so willing for the pain of God's excising hand on her. I shrink from it, but she welcomes it, knowing that the pain of discipline can only be replaced by the joy of being more like Christ, which makes us forget pain.

Dear Heidi, dear sister in Christ, you are such an example to me! I thank God for you and your eloquent witness for His glory!