More Than Bones
I want to start out with a story. So I bought my family matching, skeleton pajamas for Halloween. Not only are they adorable, but they glow in the dark. Yes, coolest mom ever award. I even got a pair of matching onesies for Peter and I. We are so cool!! haha. I was so excited to get them and give them to the girls!! Ellie is in this weird phase where she loves all things “spooky”. She does not get that from me. haha. When I first got the pjs I tried mine on, I got it all buttoned up and stood in front of my long mirror. “omg, I love this!” The more I stared at it though the more I started focusing on the bones and I had a weird thought. “Wow, I really resonate with this outfit.” Hear me out, I know that is a super weird thing to say about a pair of pjs, but honestly this year has made me feel reduced to a pile of bones. I just stood there looking at myself thinking that I had nothing else to give. Motherhood has been super overwhelming lately. Ellie is in the middle of potty training and Shaylee is cutting what feels like 10 teeth at once. There has been so much crying this week. Not only that but Peter has been working so hard at work and has had to stay late many nights this week and I am feeling at the end of my rope, or maybe like a pile of bones. I kept looking at my onsie and kept thinking about having nothing left but bones but desperately wanting to be used by God. I silently looked down and in my heart said to God, “I want to be used so badly but I feel like all I have left to give you is this pile of bones. I feel like most of my dreams and aspirations have slowly died.”
I feel like I have fire in my finger tips. This might just be a message to me, but I am praying over you who is reading these words. I want to preface by saying that this is what my heart took away from this passage. This is for someone who feels alone, forgotten, who doubts who they are, who feels like they are in a season of struggle and darkness (hello all of us.) and anyone who feel like parts of their lives have died. This is for you.
In that moment of silent grieving I all of a sudden thought about the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel chapter 37. That was no acciendet that this passage came to my mind. Ezekiel is talking with God and he has this vision of a valley of dry bones. Literally, he sees himself and God standing in the middle of a valley surrounded by bones. Spooky right?
Ezekiel 37:1 -3 “The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.” He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
OK, so if you’re new to the Bible, welcome! What is happening here is that God is giving Ezekiel a vision. He is using the imagery to speak to Ezekiel. I love when He does this in the Bible because I am a visual learner and I need to see what He is talking about!! First all, I love that He takes him to a valley, because in my life that’s where the dead things are. In the hardships. That’s where my faith gets tested. It is in the valley where doubt starts to creep in and where I start listening to other voices. In the valley is where I allow lies to play tricks on my mind. It is in the valley that I start to doubt what God told me on the mountain top, where the dreams, purpose and gifts start dying. It is also where we become humble enough to allow Gods restoration.
Second of all, God asks a question. I always highlight those in the Bible because you know there is a reason for the question. He already knows the answer, so why ask the question. There is always purpose behind the question. He asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” What is amazing about that is God is about to ask Ezekial to tell these bones to live. In my opinion and in my life, when God asks a question like this, He is checking your heart to see if you have enough faith in God and enough faith in yourself to do what is asked of you. He is preparing Ezekail for what He is about to ask of him. I love that. Are you ready for these bones to live? Are you ready to be used by me?
3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
So to summarize, I will give you Kristens translation. Ezekiel speaks to the bones and tells them that breath with enter them and they will come to life. Not only that but when God breathed upon the bones they came to life, stood up and became a vast army. That tells me that they are strong and they are ready to fight. I absolutely love that image.
The next passage is my favorite part.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lordsays: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
If you know me well, you know I am about to preach. This year it may have felt like we have been reduced to a pile of bones. We are exhausted, isolated, lonely, depressed, anxious and all around weary. When I read this it was almost as if God was starting to breath life back into the dead bones in my life. I think what is important to remember is that even when you feel like you are reduced to a pile of bones, we serve a God that takes a valley of bones and breathes life into them. Not only does he breath life into them, but that breath transforms them into an vast army. That’s some kind of supernatural strength that I am talking about. You ever get a good look at your God and all of a sudden feel so small?? This passage made me feel so small yet so powerful all at the same time.
It’s funny to think that I hold onto my pile of bones and think that I am not enough to be used by almighty God. I start allowing other people to define me and I let my self confidence die. I start listening to the harsh critics and hide my gifts when it was never really meant for them or that time in the first place and I start believing my gifts have died. I try and fill my cup from empty wells and empty flattery and wonder why I am so thirsty at the end of the day and realize my self worth has died. I start to let fear over take me and let my eyes slip away from the father, I feel as though I am drawing in the storm and I wonder why my faith has died.
What’s left is this pile of bones that once were full of life and I sit in this valley and wait.
It’s time.
It’s time to rise up. Its time to hand our pile of bones to the creator of breath itself and feel the wind ignite the flame that lives inside of us all. Once that fire has been ignited we stand up. Suddenly we realize the power of the breath that lives in our lungs and we are thankful for another day on this earth.
He can use me, He can use you and He can use us.
Stop counting yourself out when all that’s left is a pile of bones. There is a God who created the very life inside of you.
You are more than just your bones, just breathe.
XOXO,
KB