The neck of the hourglass ultimately defines how we live our lives.
Most likely you won’t have heard of it before as it is something the Holy Spirit has revealed to me over the last few years. I have never shared it publically before in such detail as it has taken me a while to let it sink in and saturate my understanding.
There is a swirling that takes place at the very top of everyone’s own personal hourglass. The things that initiate the swirling include the events of our lives, the words and encounters we each experience, the connections with our families, our friends, and our peers and of course, the way we and others make our very own declarations of the things that really matter. All these and so many more begin the process of swirling the content inside our very own hourglass.
The rate of the swirling is determined by many things but mostly by the amount we are brave enough to expose, and the extent to which we are willing to be vulnerable. Some people swirl quickly yet some face up to the swirling process very cautiously, even a little reluctantly with a degree of resistance that may or may not be Godly.
Inevitably the process must unfold; the swirling refuses to abate and we quickly, or gradually, are drawn toward the neck of our own hourglass. As we are drawn closer to the neck, the swirling speeds up bringing with it the inescapable dilemma of how or if we’re willing to pass through. As we’re drawn ever closer, doubts and fears arise and we all wrestle with what, if anything, we might elect to do.
Is my focus more on the doubts and the fears that threaten to blind me and try to rob me, or on what promises might be on the other side? Others might tell me what they believe but this is my life, my decision and I’m not sure I want to make my decision, not now anyway.
These issues are all real and they form part of what and who we are, yet the questions remain; does the light on the other side triumph over the darkness on this? Do God’s promises prevail, or do we dismiss them? These are questions we all must face.
When we get to the neck, a major decision looms. Do I battle against the pull and force myself back to the surface where everything seemed safe?
On the journey towards the neck, it’s easier to turn back but now that I’m in a little deeper I can’t reach out and touch the sides so it becomes harder and harder to turn back. As I get closer and closer to the neck as the sides start coming in, I can wedge myself against the surfaces of the hourglass effectively jamming myself there. If I try hard enough, I can actually stop myself from going through, but I keep asking myself, ‘do I really want to go further?’
Do I go through? What’s on the other side? No-one has convinced me of what’s on the other side so how can I possibly know if I’m going to like what’s there and if I don’t, how would I ever find my way back?
Maybe I can wedge myself in so tight that I can stay in the neck and maybe I can catch a tiny glimpse of what’s on the other side. If I can get a glimpse, even a tiny one, I can decide if I want to go through and if I don’t like what I see I can either stay wedged or I can try to fight my way back.
If only I could see a bit better from here maybe it would be easier to decide but everything is rushing past so quickly and now it’s really hard to make up my mind. Maybe it was better back up there on the surface. Yes, I think it was. Yes, it was. This isn’t what I waited for. I should have stayed where I was. What was I thinking?
So, where is God in all this? Peter stood at the neck of his own hourglass when Jesus bid him come. Peter passed through the neck at Jesus’ invitation yet quickly began to sink as he doubted and wished he’d have stayed safely in the boat until Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him out of the depths. Like the other disciples, Peter could have remained in the neck, safe in the boat. Peter grew that day, as did his brothers.
Three fascinating things happen when we pass through the neck of our own hourglass; Firstly, we discover, as Peter did, that Jesus is there to lift us up.
Secondly, and far more importantly from the perspective of our own individual and shared walk of faith, God then flips the hourglass so that what was on the bottom now becomes what is on top.
Whether we fight the swirling towards the neck of our own hourglass, whether we wedge ourselves in the neck and wait there until we can decide, or whether we seek God in the swirling and trust Him enough to lead us through and lift our heads beyond, is our very own choice.
The third fascinating thing we discover when we trust God and pass willingly through the neck, the doubts and fears that held us captive on the other side prove to be empty lies perpetrated by the deceiver of old: The enemy’s intent is always to cheat, steal and destroy, yet God’s intent proves greater than anything we can dare dream, hope or imagine.
The neck of the hourglass….we each have to arrive at our own decision….no-one can make our decision for us and no-one can take away our right to decide…..it’s all part of one of God’s most precious gifts, our very own free will.
Footnote: After ‘arriving’ on the other side of the neck, God does something we possibly don’t expect, He flips the hourglass. What was on the bottom, becomes the top. It’s all part of the essential process, it’s part of the refiner’s fire, the journey towards purification and ultimate perfection. He already sees us as perfect, yet we struggle to see ourselves through His eyes. The truth is that this side of Glory, we never reach perfection, yet the journey in that God-inspired direction is vital for each of us to grow and to be more effective for His purpose and His glory. God positions us all, if we’re willing, to go through the process, again and again. It seems, God is most pleased when we ‘spin’ towards the neck, and through it, more willingly than the times before.
