I have a confession. I’m a James Bond fanatic. Not because of the new movies, I’m talking from way back to the originals with Roger Moore and Sean Connery. And let’s clear, the best Bond is Sean Connery. Period.
The longevity of the James Bond character is amazing. He still pulls crowds at the box office. Over the years, M and Q have changed, and gadgets have advanced, but one constant remains.
007 always has his martinis shaken, not stirred.
Never occurred to me before now to consider why the man likes his martini that way. Even when I did drink alcohol, I never tried a martini, so I decided to research the different preparations. And I found something interesting.
While shaking and stirring both cool and dilute the beverage, shaking is for cocktails mixed with juice. Stirring is better for drinks where the spirits themselves take center stage, like martinis. In those instances, it’s the flavor of the spirits that give the cocktail its substance.
And all this time I thought James requested the most potent martini. It seems he needed to pace himself!
All that has nothing to do with anything except I’ve been going through a stirring of my own lately. Life has a way of getting our attention. Jesus has a way of working through those moments to make the most of our attention.
He certainly has mine; confronting me lovingly with truth that stirs me just enough to make me uncomfortable with the status quo. It turns out the coping mechanisms I used during my childhood didn’t protect me, after all. They left me wounded and wanting, and DADDY God has carefully orchestrated this year (well—my life) to a get me where I’m ready to let Him fix it. That SOUNDS great, but healing means A LOT of stirring—first.
Realizing pushing down pain and pushing through is just a sloppy bandage through which I’ve oozed ever since. Revisiting memories of events I’d misperceived and allowed to define instead of direct me. And worse, tainted my view of God. Remembering DADDY’s revelation: “I saw everything that happened to you as a child. It hurt Me as much as it hurt you, but I knew I would restore you.”
Seems DADDY just skimmed the surface in the book He had me write. He planned to say more when I was ready, and it appears I’m ready. He’s making good on His promise. The stirring—while disorienting at first, is necessary and liberating. He’s stirring what’s buried to the surface, and speaking truth to lies, so the full substance of the Spirit shines bright in me.
I love you James, but I’ll take my healing stirred, not shaken. Cheers!
Vine Life Faith 