The Little Hazelnut

I came across an amazing book a year ago called 20 Things You Should Read, compiled by David Edwards, Margaret Feinberg, Janella Griggs, and Matthew Paul Turner. The entire book is 20 excerpts from the greatest of the greats: St. Augustine, Thomas A Kempis, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Brother Lawrence, George Whitfield...and the list continues.

One of my favorites was the section by someone I'd never even heard of... Julain of Norwich. She lived 1342 to 1416 in England when the bubonic plague swept through many times. During severe sickness she wrote, "I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us: he is our clothing that for love wrappeth us, claspeth us, and all encloseth us for tender love, that He may never leave us; being to us all-thing that is good, as to mine understanding."

During her sickness also, the Lord gave her an illustration with a little hazelnut. In this little thing she saw three properties: "The first is that God made it, the second is that God loveth it, the third, that God keepeth it. But what is to me verily the Maker, the Keeper, and the Lover--I cannot tell; for till I am Substantially oned to Him, I may never have full rest nor very bliss..."

She goes on to talk of God being so pleased when we are resting in Him...which brings to mind Psalm 62:1-"I am at rest in God alone. He is my Rock and my Salvation: my Stronghold, I will never be shaken." That verse was posted in my car all through high school...and whether it was a wonderful day or a blah day or a terrible day...I was reminded that the Lord was my Rock- and He's in control of every moment.

Julian of Norwich has some amazing other things to say so I encourage you to seek them out....I'll close with a precious prayer she wrote that became my prayer the first time I read this a year ago. (I remember that was one of the worst weeks of my life...and this was such a great perspective to keep me focused on the Lord):

God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself:
for Thou art enough to me,
and I may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to Thee;
and if I ask anything that is less, ever me wanteth,--but only in Thee I have all.

Over 600 years ago, this was her prayer...May we all continue to seek and draw near to the Lord ever closer each day.