Grille

The grille is a powerful symbol.  I would go so far as to say that, in the cloistered heart way of life I’m describing, it is the important symbol.  It is a place of separation and, just as importantly, it is a place of encounter.  It is only through the grille that some cloistered individuals (in a number of communities) connect with the world.

Every human being has been given, by God, a way to connect with the world.  A way to see situations correctly; a way to interact with others appropriately.

God invites each one of us to view and respond to every person and every circumstance through His will.

We do not have to guess what that will is.  God has revealed it to us.  Scripture and the authentic teachings of the Church make up the bars of our grille.

Am I facing a hardship?  I can face it through the grille. “God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him…”  (Romans 8:28).   

“We do not fix our gaze on what is seen but on what is unseen…” (2 Corinthians 4:18).  

© 2011 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org    

Some Scriptures That Form "Bars of My Grille:"

"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God's will, what is good, pleasing and perfect."  (Romans 12:0)

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no fruit, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

"We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his decree." (Romans 8:28)

"...we can even boast of our afflictions! We know that affliction makes for endurance, and endurance for tested virtue, and tested virtue for hope. And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)

"I consider the sufferings of the present to be as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

"Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

"No test has been sent you that does not come to all men. Besides, God keeps his promise. He will not let you be tested beyond your strength.  Along with the test he will give you a way out of it so that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

"We have put our hope in him who will never cease to deliver us." (2 Corinthians 1:10)

"God chose those whom the world considers absurd to shame the wise; He singled out the weak of this world to confound the strong.  He chose the world's lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something; so that mankind can do not boasting before God."  (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

"We are afflicted in every way possible, but we are not crushed; full of doubts, we never despair. We are persecuted but never abandoned; we are struck down but never destroyed. Continually we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed." (1 Corinthians 4:8-10)

"The present burden of our trial is light enough, and earns for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. We do not fix our gaze on what is seen but on what is unseen. What is seen its transitory; what is unseen lasts forever." (1 Corinthians 4:17-18)

"I am sure of this much: that He who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

"The light shines on in darkness, a darkness that did not overcome it." (John 1:5) 

"The light came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were wicked.  Everyone who practices evil hates the light; he does not come near it, for fear his deeds will be exposed.  But he who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God." (John 3:19-21)

"I am the light of the world.  No follower of Mine shall ever walk in darkness; no, he shall possess the light of life." (John :12)

"A lamp to my feet is Your word, a light to my path."  (Psalm 119:105)

"In Him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything."  (Philippians 4:13)

"I put no value on my life if only I can finish the race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, bearing witness to the gospel of God's grace." (Acts 20:24)

"There is cause for rejoicing here.  You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears."  (1 Peter 1:6-7)"Count it pure joy when you are involved in every sort of trial. Realize that when your faith is tested this makes for endurance.  Let endurance come to its perfection so that you may be fully mature and lacking in nothing."  (James 1:2-4)

"Let no one mislead you.  Any number will come attempting to impersonate Me.  'I am he,' they will claim, and will lead many astray.  When you hear about wars and threats of war, do not yield to

panic.  Such things are bound to happen, but this is not the end.  Nation will rise against nation, one kingdom against another.  There will be earthquakes in various places and there will be famine.  This is but the onset of labor.  Be constantly on your guard.... because of My Name, you will be hated by everyone.  Nonetheless, the man who holds out till the end is the one who will come through safe."  (Mark 13:5-13)

"Seek first His kingdom over you, and the rest will follow in turn.  Do not live in fear, little flock  It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom."  (Luke 12:31-32)

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.  When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers, you shall not drown.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, the flames will not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."  (Isaiah 43:1-3)

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to Your Name, Most High.  To proclaim your kindness at dawn, and your faithfulness throughout the night."  (Psalm 92:2-3)

"Give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians. 5:20)

 "Do not... speak ill of one another."  (James 4:11)

"..I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me.... I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me."  (Matthew 25:35-36 & 40)

"Love is patient, love is kind.  Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish.  Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries.  Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth."  (1 Corinthians 13:4-6) 

“As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you…. nor should there be any obscene, silly, or suggestive talk…” (Ephesians 5:3-4)

"It is obvious what proceeds from the flesh: lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage. selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I have warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!  In contrast, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity."  (Galatians 5:19-23)

"You can depend on this as worthy of full acceptance:  that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.  Of these I myself was the worst.  But on that very account I was dealt with mercifully."  (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

"I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame."  (Psalm 34:5-6)

"I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk; I will counsel you, keeping My eye on you."  (Psalm 32:8)

'The Lord redeems the lives of His servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in Him"  (Psalm 34:23)

“My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me - life on high in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:14)  

“Do not lay up for yourselves an earthly treasure.  Moths and rust corrode; thieves break in and steal. Make it your practice instead to store up heavenly treasure, which neither moths nor rust corrode nor thieves break in and steal.  Remember, wherever your treasure is, there your heart is also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

"Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

"The natural man does not accept what is taught by the Spirit of God.  For him, that is absurdity.  He cannot come to know such teaching because it must be appraised in a spiritual way."  (1 Corinthians 2:14)

GRILLE Links:
The Grille (November 6, 2011) 
Positively, Grillwork (November 7, 2011)
To Face the Dark (November 10, 2011)
Finding the Grille View (November 19, 2011) 
Salesmen in the Foyer (February 1, 2012) 
Beyond the Sweet Thoughts (February 19, 2012) 
Facing "a culture ungrilled" (June 9, 2012)
The Practice of Grillwork (June 11, 2012) 
Everyday Through the Grille (June 17, 2012) 
Grille Eyes (July 26, 2012)