Rigidity

“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Rigid • it's a word I mentioned last week that a dear friend shared with me. Since then, God has undone an even greater truth behind it. I immediately received it as something negative, something that needed changing in my life. So I took action to do that- but this heavy unrest began in my soul and as I kept asking for God to lead the way, it was as if he wound me tighter and tighter to certain convictions He has spoken in the past. I had never felt so rigid in environments where my convictions and beliefs brushed up against the contrary. I sought His heart wholly and asked that if there were false beliefs in me that needed to be changed, to reveal them and undo them. 

The one thing He changed was my belief that rigidity was bad. 

Have you ever seen the rigid ocean cliff side? God made THAT! He created it to stand firm and to have a steadiness that contrasted the fickle waves tossing to and fro. The rigid rocks have a sense of solitude and refuge because of their strength and resolve to stand firm. You know what else is really rigid? An ANCHOR (the symbol for HOPE). It is sharp, heavy, and solid so that it can endure the pressures of the deep and pierce the earth to anchor itself. It's taughtness- the tension it wages- is what means it is anchored. I am so thankful for this word spoken by my friend because through the filter of Christ- my CORNERSTONE, my ROCK- (something else very rigid and solid and hard), I realized that yes, I am RIGID when it comes to some core beliefs, convictions, and promises. Yes, God created me this way for a reason, and yes, what God made is GOOD. 😊 There were many fires I underwent to stand firmly where I am now. There will be more to come- but there was a life-prayer, an anthem in my heart that began several years back during a quite unraveling experience. My prayer was that my God would burn through me, that He would refine me like silver, sifting over and over. So when you start praying things like THAT- RIGID will happen. Because that's an invitation for His testing- and when we are weak, we are strong. A healthy rigidity rests on the foundation of Christ and is able to expand and enlarge and sustain. 

What is beautiful about Faith is that it makes us righteous. A great way to check your heart is asking yourself if your life is producing the fruit of the Spirit. For so long I thought having certain beliefs or convictions or saying "God told me so..." was manipulative and prideful because I was largely misinformed about hearing from Him and speaking about Him. I was convinced that my intentions were mostly evil so I better strive for perfection rather than rest in the rhythms of His grace and pruning. (Side note: Isn't that just like the enemy? To question what God spoke and to sway your mind into a state of confusion and doubt??) But this one word- RIGID- along with the Holy Spirit's voice and the word of God, convinced me otherwise. Rigid is good in the correct context. When our beliefs about God's promises and words are RIGID, we are not tossed to and fro when we ASK of the Lord (James 1). We stand firm in belief like Abraham and Noah and David and all others listed in Hebrews 11. Because the fact is that in order to grow in our FAITH, we have to draw near and seek and BELIEVE that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

How redemptive and how amazing is our God?! Did you know that in Isaiah 54 when speaking about expanding your tents and STRENGTHENING your stakes, the synonym for strengthen is RIGID, to be firm, be resolute and become strong? I've realized my personal convictions are not only good but highly valued by my Father who gifted them to me- and they are more than mere opinion- they're BELIEF, FAITH, and RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Who told you that your opinion, that your beliefs about things God has spoken, do not matter? That doesn't sound much like my God. He loves to hear from YOU. His love is first patient so even if you have some misbeliefs (I know we ALL do), He will be faithful and patient to redefine those! Just open up to His testing and growing and refining!

Rigidity- or rather, strong belief- begins with humility but it is not people-pleasing. It leads in honor while standing on the foundations of God's words. Another heart-check is how are you responding when your beliefs are rubbed up against? Is it love or is it defensive? When your heart is soft towards Him and His conviction, you can withstand the pressures and the winds of all that come against what He has spoken in an honoring manner.

What makes your heart burn? What gives you a Holy Indignation? Would you give Him your whole heart? Even if that means inviting Him into your brokenness?? Would you answer His invitation to come and sit? Would you let Him undo you and rebuild you? In many ways I am just beginning after years of unraveling, but there's no one I'd rather be undone by.