Monday, June 20, 2011

thoughts on the scraps of faithfulness


This morning I had breakfast under this Blue Dolphin with a flickr friend, who I had never seen or talked to before, but two people who watch each others lives unfold in photos, do get to know each other. Check out her photos.


I had featured some of the projects I had made from left-overs of spelling out Faithfulness on flickr. My friend asked about my use of "scraps" of faithfulness. I agreed with her that scraps is a strange word that brings up positive and negative images. What exactly are the scraps of faithfulness? So I was thinking about it and a Bible passage came to mind.

Matthew 15 from The Message:

21-22From there Jesus took a trip to Tyre and Sidon. They had hardly arrived when a Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, "Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit."

23Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, "Now she's bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She's driving us crazy."

24Jesus refused, telling them, "I've got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel."

25Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. "Master, help me."

26He said, "It's not right to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to dogs."

27She was quick: "You're right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master's table."

28Jesus gave in. "Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!" Right then her daughter became well.


So maybe my scrap projects are for those of us who will put God to the test. To stretch the limits of God's love to even us, who don't really deserve it, but if we ask and id we refuse to accept anything but love, we can see the healing power of God.


welcome sign


47  310/365  new welcome sign

mandala


47  308/365  scraps of faithfulness mandala


and doodle


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7 comments:

  1. I posted on the Flickr thread but will include here as well... Remnants might be a nice replacement. Remnants seems to be more dignified and respectful and suggests importance of the original and retention of meaning.

    bits of food,cloth,paper = scraps

    remains of cultures,towns,structures,ideas = remnants

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  2. Lynn-- thanks for sharing your thoughts. Last night the remnants of peace and kindness merged into one

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  3. I dunno. I kind of like the idea of scraps. That passage you thought of is perfect. No disrespect intended, UnaOdd-Lynn, but who in great need of the Master's touch has time to be dignified?

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  4. Well, no disrespect taken. I was just responding to a request for possible alternate wording. I feel the dignity I referred to is inherit in the pieces, not necessarily reflecting the requester. From the passages - I believe there is a certain type of dignity in beseeching ceaselessly on behalf of another - even if it should appear undignified. On the other hand the manner in which the 'scraps' are offered does suggest they may be just that - scraps.

    Good for thinking.

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  5. Una and Walk2Write--- thanks for sharing your thoughts. yes, much to think about.

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  6. I think about scraps a lot, too. Whether they're substantial enough to create something new, whether I'm willing to let go of them when they're not.

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