A LITTLE SILVER POLISH
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels,
but also vessels of wood and of earthenware,
and some to honor and some to dishonor.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things,
he will be a vessel for honor,
sanctified,
useful to the Master,
prepared for every good work.
2 Timothy 20,21
NASB
Many years ago my grandmother cleaned out her dining room hutch and passed a box full of silver on to me. My mother didn’t want it for the same reason Great (her nickname once the great grandkids were born) was giving it away: too much trouble.
I’ve always loved anything shiny and glittery and in any way nostalgic, so I took that box into my hands with glee. Shined up and beautiful, I put each item on a shelf and pulled them out to use over and over again.
That was 20 years ago at least. I’ve gotten tired of all that shining, let the pretty things tarnish and turn dull. Gotten used to less beauty, comfortable with the grey.
And then this morning it bothered me. I have no idea why, but that teapot just seemed pathetic sitting there. It looked old, but not in a good way. Just old.
And so I ambitiously got out the polish, dirtied my hands, and gently wiped the grim away. It took all of about 10 minutes to get it clean, even after I threw in every silver thing I could find sitting out.
Ten minutes.
And while I was smearing the pink polish and rinsing all that ugliness away I wondered just a little about me.
My soul. That part of me that gets grimy and dull. Put on a shelf and ignored because its just not pretty.
Who wants to have a tea party with an ugly teapot?
And it takes so little time to shine my soul up. Really. Just a little pink polish: a mixture of confession and repentance and humbling myself enough to submit to the gentle cleansing of my Master.
I put myself in front of Him and say, I want to be clean again. I want to be pretty. Shiny, lovely. Do what You must. Please.
And then I just sit at His feet and listen as He tells me what to let go of. Things like perfectionism, self-pity, worry, resentment… and He washes those dulling things all away. So softly. So kind.
And I like how I feel when He’s done. Not scrubbed and rubbed wrong, but loved and embraced and relieved of the scum so I can be me.
The real me. The me He made me to be in the first place. That me.
I feel useful once again; bright and shiny and waiting to be filled and to pour and to delight.
In ten minutes.
From my heart,
Diane
Lovely! Thanks for the reminder…
Diane! It’s about time I write you in response to all your wonderful letters, writings, and speakings (is that a word? – oh well!) Diane you are SUCH an encouragement to women of all ages. What a wonderful, humble, beautiful, wise, knowledgeable, graceful and humble role model you are! (oh whoops I wrote humble twice – must be for a reason!) Who knew God could work so deeply through computer screens! Thank you for taking the time, the energy, the care, and the boldness to create beauty, encouragement, direction, and example to us girls! I just want to encourage you so deeply and so truthfully in all your doing because I know the enemy, though he can’t have your soul, will try everything he can to discourage you, criticize, tell you your not good enough, pretty enough, wise enough, knowledgable enough, or whatever other discord he can think of to kill, steal and destroy your life. I know that last sentence was a little intense but after all, the enemy is an intense evil. I just pray for you to continue to be strengthened in the Lord, in his word, through his spirit, modeling christ in all you do. He is always right! I pray for your ability to continue to cover over offenses with love and grace, knowing that all offenses begin with the enemy. I pray for your family, your marriage, your hopes and dreams, your steadfastness and faithfulness and anything else deep in the corners of your heart, and I guess anything else just big and out in the open as well! I just love you Diane and all your family, blood relatived and Christ relatived alike (another non-word I’m sure!
Don’t let the enemy win! Keep doing good! Your are doing an amazing job! May the Lord Strengthen and Encourage your soul! Love you so much! ~ Corinne 
Dearest Corinne,
You can have no idea how your words wash over my soul today. I needed this more than I knew. But the Father knew and He sent you like He sent those ravens to Elijah when he was worn out from conflict. Thank you, dear one, for listening to Him and speaking such overwhelmingly beautiful words. Love, Diane
Yes…how quickly neglect robs beauty away. It truly takes so little time each day to stay in his light. Thank you for the reminder to let him in to polish our hearts.
Interesting blog for me to read today. I have had one of those earth & core shaking weeks. You know those times when something happens that you know will change who you are forever? You walk threw the paces of life in a bit of a fog, knowing that to most everyone else around you, life is going on as normal, but for you, and a few you love, life will never be the same.
As I have started to come out of the fog, and glimpse around at the reality that is left, I too, see the tarnish. How have I not seen it as I rush about through my “normal” exisitance?
That tarnish has kept me from loving others completely. You know that Love Jesus speaks of. The kind that loves others more than self?!
That tarnish has kept me from serving like Jesus serves.
That tarnish that makes me look more like one of the goats that Jesus referred to in Matthew, and nothing like the sheep.
I pray that this cleaning off of the grime that has happened is a reminder to me that to keep clean, it needs daily attention, that the grime does come back if not get care on a regular basis.
Thanks for helping me look at my situation through these eyes Diane!
I Love our Lord and I Love you!
Oh my gosh, this is so what I went through this weekend! I was babysitting a little girl and right around bed time, she had a meltdown, just like any other child. while this was going on, I had to be patient with s and just softly talk to her. even though I was tempted to get frustrated, I love her more than that and chose to just love on her during her tantrum. well, during this time, it suddenly hit me-even during my ugly moments, God still loves me and chooses to remain calm when I’m acting like the whole world is coming to an end cause I’m not getting my way. His love is so deep and wide and He loves us so much more than we can ever understand. Knowing that now, it makes it so much easier for me to come to Jesus when I screw up cause He does love me. and He wants to gently talk me through what’s going on make my soul pretty again.