Tag: beauty

beautiful mess

Karla Lees

All around
Hope is springing up
from this old ground
Out of chaos
life is being found in You..

You make beautiful things
out of the dust
You make beautiful things
out of us

Beautiful Things, Tim Neufeld

God sees something beautiful in messy, broken me.

The same is true of you.

God looks at us, and sees what we may not be able to see in ourselves:
*promise
*hope
*His handiwork
*worth
*precious treasure
*His hands & feet
*our covering in Christ

He doesn’t see:
*our sin
*our failures
*when we strayed
*our mistakes
once we have given them over to Him.

He sees our messy chaotic lives, and sees beauty in our midst…because of Jesus.

Inviting Jesus in starts an internal reno that Holy Spirit will not complete until we meet God face to face in glory.

It means God sees the hope living within us, rather than our failure.

It means we have that living hope no matter what.

Broken in spirit, body, mind, heart?

Bound by sin?

Believing in enemy lies?

God doesn’t leave us there.
He restores our hope,
returns our dreams,
remolds our breaks,
redirects us to the right path.
He offers an embrace of grace when we think we deserve a slap in the face.

Take a walk through your bible.
Take a close look at the God you see enclosed in the truth contained within.
God doesn’t leave those who seek His Presence where He found them:
Abram > Abraham
Sarai> Sarah
Jacob> thief to head of Israel
Saul> Paul, killer of Christians to evangelist for Christ
David> shepherd to king, murderer & adulterer>man after God’s own heart
Solomon> overindulging philanthropist to wisest man & builder of His temple
Esther> pretty teenager to redeemer of her people
Rahab> prostitute to one of God’s chosen
Ruth> foreigner to beloved grandmother of David
Samson> playboy to judge, betrayer who God restored to mete out justice

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what God can do with a willing heart that beats for Him.

What we may see may be overwhelming pain, brokenness, mess beyond our ability to fix or clean…

Nothing is beyond His ability to repair.

God has never stopped being in the creation business.

When we look to Him, and choose to follow, He begins to restore us back to how He originally intended us to be: fully His.

His view of what is really going on is from His loving, eternal, all-knowing perspective.

We need to trust He knows what He is doing.

If we are listening, He will speak love, restoration and hope into our lives along the way.

Our situations do not limit His ability, they reflect humanity’s inability.

God chose to make us in His image, and will never stop restoring us until we are called home with Him.

And along the way, He makes beautiful things out of the dust, out of us.

Our hope is built on nothing less than the God of the universe.

Our beauty is not based on what we see, but His vision.

Our brokenness becomes something beautiful when we allow the Potter to remold us & give us His peace.

On the days when brokenness feels overwhelming, try to keep this truth in mind: When God looks at us, He sees something beautiful! Ask Him to give you clear direction and peace when you cannot see the beauty He sees.

Hey, if you want a few good tips on how to spot beauty in the broken on a hard day, especially a Monday, please visit: Beauty in Brokenness at POTSC.
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wildflower

Karla Lees

Matthew 6:30-33: MSG  “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

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As I have been walking outdoors this spring & summer, I have noticed the abundance of wild flowers that pop up and grow, in both obvious and more subtle locations….many of which most of us have never set eyes upon.

The Creator notices each one of them.

Field upon field, patches that grow through the cracks along the sidewalks and pathways. Hidden under low lying tree branches, behind thick bushes.

Year after year, these beauties slowly grow, bloom & blossom. Shine for the time they are given to do so before their fade, withering back down into the earth they burst forth from.

Whether they have ever been noticed or not.

I recently was introduced to a gifted artist, who exclusively paints flowers. He captures the beauty in their moments in the light in oils, these glimpses of natural wonder at their best, for all to see.

He is able to magnify the wonder of flowers because he took the time to stop and not just smell them, but closely look at them. Drawing close enough to see the dew drops, sunlight glinting from their petals, their exquisite coloring and composition.

How much more does God think of us?

We are more intricately created than the beautiful wildflowers.

God paid the highest price for us to be able to grasp just how precious He considers us.

In Matthew 6:30 He reminds us not to worry, as He will care and provide for us, as we are way more important to Him than the wildflowers. We are His pride & joy, in whom He delights.

God wants us not to worry about what might come or what we need.

He is our Provider.

God wants us to depend on Him with all that is concerning us.

He is Dependable.

God promises as we seek Him and His ways, we will never go without what is important.

He is Faithful.

The reality is…we are here because God created and made us. We are His initiative.

He notices us.

Why would the God who went to all the trouble to count every hair on our head and every tear we will ever shed not take pride in His handiwork, and care for it as any gifted artist would do?

He doesn’t want to hide it, but proudly display His handiwork to the world.

We are that precious handiwork in His sight.

The next time you see a patch of wildflowers, remember not only did God design them, He placed them exactly where He wanted them for His purpose, and gave them all they needed to live, bloom and grow.

You are of so much more value than these.

Remember to thank Him for that awesome love the next time you see a wildflower.

when the beauty fades

Karla Lees

Over time, almost everything loses its luster. Rust spots, fraying strings, parts breaking down, wrinkles and age spots begin to appear…and what we think of beauty begins to fade.

There are two exceptions.

Although our bodies may age, begin to falter and decay, our spirit or soul does not.

It grows richer and deeper as it is cared for over the years. Faith, wisdom and experience are banked up and gain much with the passing of time.

Some of the wisest people I know don’t look like much to the eyes. Unassuming, they pour their resources into others’ lives – for they know their legacy is not in money, property or stuff, but in those they can help, train and bless along the way.

What makes them so noticeable is the character that shines through. When they smile, ponder the words they share before speaking, listen without judgment, they prove their value to be more than gold, more priceless than jewels.

When they spend time with the Eternal One, whose bloom will NEVER EVER fade…they in turn radiate Him.

And that glow is more attractive than the other packaging that houses it.

The more I spend time getting to know God, the more attractive, glorious, mighty, holy, awe inspiring and loving He becomes…

and the more I want to spend more time with Him. The one who never changes. Ever.

So if you are seeing new crinkle lines by your eyes, a few hairs that have migrated from their origins, and your skin has lost some of its youthful glow, draw closer to True Beauty.

Being changed from the inside out last forever.

I would rather glow for eternity than worry about aging while I am here on earth.

Each day I celebrate I get to live another day here, and i have another day to get to know God better before we meet face to face.

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