Love Poem: Falling Particles
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Written by: Curtis Johnson

Falling Particles

When a metal tool as simple as a hoe is sharpened, there are several ways                                                           to do it but all involve a process that leaves fragments of metal behind.

When I was a little child growing up on a farm, I observed a man assigned                                                             the task of filing(sharpening) the hoes for workers in the cotton fields.
Mr. Sam would apply a small but long tool of metal called a file against                                                               the hoes with a 'back and forth' motion until the hoe was sufficiently
sharpened.  After the filings, there was always residues of metal particles                                                              left from the sharpening.  The filing process made the hoes very useful and
productive but not without 'taking something away' from the hoe. If the hoes                                                     were animate, they would certainly feel the pain from the continued pressure.                                                 

I observed that over the useful lifespan of the hoes, they became smaller primarily due to the constant need to be sharpened, and as their productivity increased, they literally decreased in size.  There is a process in being made useful and productive for God. We delight in being used by God but must also be willing to let the particles fall in the process.

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