Build the more stately mansions, O my soul!
As the swift seasons roll;
Leave thy low-vaulted past:
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s un-
Resting sea.
–Oliver Wendell Holmes
in
“The Chambered Nautilus”
I stumbled upon this poem while doing research and it has been rolling around in my head ever since. Opening the poem with, “Build the more stately mansions” did not exactly pull on my heart strings. When dreaming about owning a home of my own, a mansion has never been appealing to me. Not that I am against receiving God’s blessings–I believe God enoys blessing us, even lavishly sometimes–but I would struggle to live in a mansion when I could find other ways of utilizing those resources for others. I want to be the kind of person that is content with what the Lord provides. Basically, I was ready to sail quickly through the poem and leave it where I found it. But as I read on, something began to stir.
Of course, this poem is not talking about real estate. It’s drawing attention to the capacity of one’s own heart to be filled. I feel challenged when thinking about asking for anything to be enhanced or expanded in my life, even my capacity to host the presence of God. I sometimes feel as though it would be wrong of me to want anything more than what I already have available to me. But that’s just it. So much IS available to me but I often find myself unable to welcome somethings into my heart because I feel like it’s too much of a bother to ask God to help me make more space.
I realize that this is silly though. God longs to dwell in my heart and yours. Sometimes it requires that we undergo some uncomfortable renovations in order to make room. It will surely require letting go of some things too. But I believe it is worth it.
anothervapor 