Lucentio and Bianca

I have run out of room in my favorite quotes section to add any more, so i would like to use a series of notes to recycle some of the quotes that are (now probably were) there. Even if i may decide to keep some that are currently there, I would like to take the opportunity to explain myself and maybe even communicate my own ideas on why the quote is important to me, why it voices my opinions well, or why it has inspired me to think, speak, act, or live differently. Anyhow, I'm going to start with some of the most recent, cause I'm inspired.

Here's for number one. Donald Miller. Blue Like Jazz. Chapter 7: Grace. It's a long one. Thanks to some computer genius for copy/paste.

"We dream of Christ's love for His bride reading like Romeo and Juliet; two equals enflamed in liberal love. I think it is more like Lucentio's pursuit of Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew. That is, the groom endearing the belligerent bride with kindness, patience, and love. Our "behavior" will not be changed long with self-discipline, but fall in love and a human will accomplish what he never thought possible. ...by accepting God's love for us, we fall in love with him, and only then do we have the fuel we need to obey. In exchange for our humility and willingness to accept the charity of God, we are given a kingdom. And a beggar's kingdom is better than a proud man's delusion."

I am reading this book for the second time now, because my roommate and I made a loose agreement to do so, and after failing to really make any progress on it myself while in school, I have read it here at home. This chapter has both times been my favorite, though I will say that I have not yet completed the book a second time. I love the way that he illustrates grace throughout the chapter. I am definitely one who "has trouble" accepting the grace of God. In fact, I think it's very difficult for anyone who is successful at something they love to love something they are not successful at. For me, it was baseball and academia (haha, i like to use that word). I worked hard all the time, I did well most of the time. It seemed to me a very fair and very universal system. The thing is, when it comes to life with God (which is something we are called to love), I am not generally successfully. My self-discipline is not enough. But the truth is, even typing that is hard for me to swallow. I have discovered recently that I am a very proud man (or at least boy) and I have built what I try to pass as a kingdom in my own mind, but, when I allow that kingdom to be exposed, I realize it is nothing more than my excuses, my reasoning, even my theology or my philosophy instead of things that are actually important. I have handicapped my heart with the idea that i must understand everything that I do, why I do it, and how to change it. It's not even the imagery of a bride and groom that trips me up, it's the intimacy of the relationship. I understand that God is pursuing his bride all the time, that that bride is the church, and that I am a part of it. What I so often miss is the real life pursuit of me that God is constantly engaged in. It's difficult for me to understand that His love for me is more than I could ever wrap my mind around, even with the help of an analogy. So, all to often I, like the prodigal, settle for the role of servant when my Lord wants to make me His son.