Have you ever received a gift that was extravagantly wrapped?
Elegant.
Perfect bow.
And it made your heart skip a beat with anticipation as to what could possibly be inside such a gorgeously wrapped gift?
Then... You open it...
Total disappointment.
Come on... You know what I'm talking about... We've all gotten "those gifts" that are maybe less than stellar & their packaging is deceiving... Leading us to believe there truly is something wonderful inside...
{Enter You. Enter Me}
And that's us sometimes. Isn't it? You. Me.
We think we've fooled the eye of the beholder.
All glammed up on the outside.
A royal mess on the inside.
Afraid to be transparent & allow the inner workings of our lives to be exposed.
For fear of judgment, maybe.
For fear of rejection, perhaps.
For fear of pride being bruised, possibly.
Sundays can be the worst. Can't they?
All morning long is a battle within...And perhaps without... You struggle to even make it out the door & get there on time... But, no fear, you've got your "Sunday best" on & even glossed your lips...Ready to walk in with a smile, say your "God bless you's", hear the message, make some small talk... & be on your way...
Pretty package on the outside.
Royal mess on the inside.
What's so wrong with being vulnerable in church of all places? And letting our guards down? And just... being...
Being who we are.
Unashamed.
Unafraid.
Judging less.
Loving more.
I'm grateful...That my Father is the best at taking messy, broken lives... And making them whole again.
He's done it for me. Over & over again.
That wholeness... That healing... That restoration... That comes through intimacy & rightness with the Father...
That is what ultimately takes what is seemingly "less than stellar on the inside" & makes it extravagant. Beauty radiating from the inside out.
Pretty Packages.
Being made over.
It's what's on the inside that matters most.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
Crisis
It is inevitable.
There will be a day...
When you find yourself in what feels like an unbearable crisis...
Job loss.
Death of a loved one.
Grief.
Marital strife.
Divorce.
Untreatable disease.
Betrayal.
Infertility.
Heart break.
Addiction.
The list has no end.
There are days when I personally feel like I'm in a crisis & won't make it through the day because I was up all night with a sick baby... As the days pass, and health is restored, I laugh at myself & how pressed down I get in these moments. Worn out, yes. Exhausted, yes. But in a crisis? No. Undoubtedly chronic fatigue could lead to crisis...but that's not what I'm talking about...
And I'm reminded that my daily testing & trials are just that... Testing. Trials.
There are not a crisis. It's just every day life stuff.
However, if we are not remaining in Christ, they just very well may feel like crisis as our "smallness" cannot comprehend the "greatness" of what God is intending to do in our lives daily.
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Not often enough do I lean on the strength of the arm of the Lord & allow Him to encourage me as only He can & work through my feebleness.
However...
We will have trouble. Crisis.
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
But even in the midst of what seems like crushing crisis, Jesus Christ, the One who is peace, will give you peace that surpasses ALL understanding. He will see you through. He will be with you. Always.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
There will be a day...
When you find yourself in what feels like an unbearable crisis...
Job loss.
Death of a loved one.
Grief.
Marital strife.
Divorce.
Untreatable disease.
Betrayal.
Infertility.
Heart break.
Addiction.
The list has no end.
There are days when I personally feel like I'm in a crisis & won't make it through the day because I was up all night with a sick baby... As the days pass, and health is restored, I laugh at myself & how pressed down I get in these moments. Worn out, yes. Exhausted, yes. But in a crisis? No. Undoubtedly chronic fatigue could lead to crisis...but that's not what I'm talking about...
And I'm reminded that my daily testing & trials are just that... Testing. Trials.
There are not a crisis. It's just every day life stuff.
However, if we are not remaining in Christ, they just very well may feel like crisis as our "smallness" cannot comprehend the "greatness" of what God is intending to do in our lives daily.
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Not often enough do I lean on the strength of the arm of the Lord & allow Him to encourage me as only He can & work through my feebleness.
However...
We will have trouble. Crisis.
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
But even in the midst of what seems like crushing crisis, Jesus Christ, the One who is peace, will give you peace that surpasses ALL understanding. He will see you through. He will be with you. Always.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 28:20
...Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Trials. Temptations. Testing.
Crisis.
Wherever you find yourself today, you are not alone.
I believe with my WHOLE heart that truly, truly, truly...Nothing is too difficult with God. He will be found faithful.
Luke 1:37
For nothing is impossible with God.
...Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Trials. Temptations. Testing.
Crisis.
Wherever you find yourself today, you are not alone.
I believe with my WHOLE heart that truly, truly, truly...Nothing is too difficult with God. He will be found faithful.
Luke 1:37
For nothing is impossible with God.
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