Tag: Creation

there will never be

Karla Lees

image

I wish that you could see that beauty is within your heart

Too many of us allow our insecurity or the words of others to try to restamp our value.

Simply put? God only made one of you. You are the only You which will ever exist or be.

He made you in purpose, just the way you are:

And you were made with such care, your skin, your body and your hair are perfect just the way they are

He thinks you are wonderful, exquisite, worth His pursuit.

There could never be a more beautiful you

Whether you are a guy or gal, this is true of you.

Don’t buy the lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Don’t like one part of your appearance? God does! He likes the curl which refuses to be tamed, every ounce of extra weight and your baby toe which sticks out a bit.

Because it’s part of YOU!

Beloved, please tune in to His love as He continues to speak truth, freedom and purpose into us.

You are irreplaceable.

No one else is meant to do what God has planned for you to do here on earth.

No one else can bless His heart like you do.

No one else can love Him as you can.

You are the crowning achievement of creation, for you are made in His image.

He is so beautiful beyond description, and somehow we mirror that beauty in a way we may never fully grasp until Heaven.

May you walk, head held high, as the Beloved. A one of a kind expression of His beauty and love wherever you go.

Quoted Lyrics by Jonny Diaz, “More Beautiful You.”

Spirit soaring

Karla Lees

Today was to be a day off, but God had other plans for me, which is why I am currently find myself carefully trying to type on a bus!

I got a heads up last night, as I was checking an email, and a new favorite song has been added to our to learn list at church.

Every time I sing along to this song, God stirs me within.  I can’t quite put it into words, but He has my spirit begin to stretch itself bigger than I imagined while i worship.

Holy Spirit soars along side me as I learn to soar.

He is taking me into a new beyond I am not yet able to fully communicate.

And I am finding I am not as fearful of what is to come as I would have been a few years again.

As He sweeps me up in His embrace, I feel so secure in Him I begin to tap into who He wants me to become, and His strength to do just that.

Even last year, I would have been ticked off at being called in on my day off.

He has been rewiring me to go wherever He is calling, and today I got that even includes work.

For if we can’t be there for our coworkers when He whispers ‘Go’ into our ears, there may not be someone else primed to go.

Just because His Spirit is leading us into something new, that doesn’t mean He won’t send you to a familiar place.

You may be a more improved version of yourself, able to sense  Holy Spirit to a greater depth, and hear His to do list more clearly.

I sense Holy Spirit soaring over my obedience, like a waterfall of joy rushing over me right now.

I have a peace this week I have never had before at all my works.

They haven’t changed, but I have.

The key for me is to jump into the Word,  as i worship unhindered, listening for His voice as He guides through the day ahead.

I am only as effective as He has space within me.

He longs to change us all for not only our better, but His pleasure.

For you, vocalizing or writing your prayers after your time in the Word may be where He is calling you to expand.  For others, being in His Creation stirs you to open yourself up to Him to a greater degree. If you are like me, soaking in His Presence through worship is where He meets me the deepest.

He knows how we best connect with Him, and longs for us to meet with us there as often as we can.

Holy Spirit is waiting within each of us to help us soar to the new level of connection He has for you, me as He Himself takes us there.

image

snapshots along the Way: He Knew

Karla Lees

You knew.

You knew that the same people who cried Hosanna as You entered Jerusalem were the same ones who would pick up the stones to judge one another’s sin, and nail You to the cross.

You knew.

You knew we all hide our brokenness under the cover of what we think others want us to be and the pain, shame and agony of holding in our sin & the sin done to us could not be set free any other way.

You knew.

You knew this before You came.
God with us.
Yet You came anyway.

You knew this & kept it in the forefront of Your thought as You helped landscape the earth, design the canopy of stars & planets in the skies above, fashion the depths of the ocean floors, hang the sun and moon in place and set the seasons on their annual rotation.

You knew.

You knew the man and woman You fashioned with such care and love would stray and break Your heart, and let sin enter us all, yet You went ahead with Your plan anyways.

Because You knew Your bride would be worth it.

Honestly God, there are times I don’t get it. Like Hosea, I struggle with the love You ask me to show, yet I know You love me so deeply and permanently, despite all I do.

You know.

You know me better than i know myself.

You know all of us this way.

And because of this love, hearing the inner cry of the broken we all cry within the secret places we keep hidden, You chose to come and be one of us.

To show us how depending 100% on Abba can make a difference in how we can live our lives.

To show us just how far Love will go to show the one He loves the enormity of His affection & longing.

To show us we never have to be alone again.

As we head along the journey once again towards the cross, may we take the time to admit we are the reason He had to head there.

We needed to see His love in action in order to get, to grasp, just how much He loves us.

He knew.

#snapshotsalongtheWay
image

get back

Karla Lees

A chorus of a famous Beatles song just flashed through my head a moment ago as I lay down on my sofa to ease my back.

Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.

Most of us would give almost anything to get back to a part of our past we would rather not have experienced.

But God’s plan is even greater.

He wants us to get back to Eden.
He wants to restore us all to His design, so He sent Jesus to clear the way for us.

Wherever you have headed, HP’s is waiting to bring us back.

Back to communion with Him.
Back to where we were meant to be, wrapped in His Presence in an embrace that can carry us through this hard life, all the way into the Eden of eternity that awaits us.

I dunno about you, but I am tired of looking back at my past.

I am choosing instead to Ru. hard after God, and get back to Eden.

The best part of Eden is not the garden, or even creation…but the One who walked with Adam & Eve in it, who waits to walk along us today.

As the song lyric said, get back to where you once belonged.
We were designed for Eden.

Its time to make our way Home.

image

how great is Your love?

Karla Lees

image

How great
is Your love
for me, Lord?

If I went
to the unknown depths
of the ocean bottom,
I’d find You there.

If I flew my way
across the universe,
You would welcome me
everywhere I went.

If I hid
under the covers,
in the crowd
or with an alias,
You’d still find me,
because You
never leave me.

If I were on a boat
in the middle of the ocean,
Your love would still
flow my way.

If I were spelunking,
in the darkest of caves,
Your love
would be there
to guide
me home.

I could be standing
in a desert island,
not another living creature
in sight for miles or days,
and the clouds above
would still capture
my attention,
reminding me
the Creator
is always showing
me & His creation
signs of His love…
in the clouds,
in the quiet whispers,
in a baby’s first cry,
in a glistening rainbow,
in a warm embrace,
in a kindness shown,
in an extravagant sunrise or sunset,
in extended grace
displayed on the cross.

Your love, Oh Lord,
reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness
stretches to the skies.
Forever & ever
Your love endures.

I find my hope
in Your Presence,
in You alone, God.

fashioned with care

Karla Lees

image

We were fashioned with care.
Hand made by God.
Planned out.
On purpose.

Crafted in the secret place.
On display as His handiwork, for all to see.

We are each a walking creation, made in the image of our Creator.

God took what He wanted us to have from each of our contributing parents, added His sweet purposeful touches to the DNA- our talents, gifts, dreams- and with a spark we came to be in the secret place within our mothers.

But God didn’t leave it there.

We are not only made with care.
He cares for us.

Individually.

And with one seemingly reckless act, God paid the outstanding account, in the enemy’s log book of our wrong doings, with the spilled blood & the offered body of Jesus- the son of man & God.

Love with a passion we can barely comprehend, that such a God would wrap Himself in flesh, live among us and make a way for us to reconnect with God, and join His family, forever.

We are each His beloved.

Psalm 139 includes fascinating account of how you and I were fearfully & wonderfully made by God.

The rest of the bible is His love story, written for us, of how God cares for those He has handcrafted with such purpose and care.

Each and every one of us.
Who has ever been, is or ever will be on this earth, in all of history.

Take a look around you. The similarities and differences make each one of us unique yet stamped with the same Creator’s handiwork.

Made by the Master craftsman.

For His glory.

Wow.

May you start the day knowing you are here on purpose, made exquisitely with love by your Creator.

It is no accident you are alive.

Don’t miss the rest of your story by not knowing the Author.

endurance

Karla Lees

My longest day of the week is Monday.

Not because its the first day of the week, but because of my busier than normal workload on Mondays.

Yet the race is not won by being busy.

Endurance.

Some Mondays seem more like daze and the amount I actually accomplish is astounding.

Other Mondays make me feel like I barely scratched the surface of what I needed to get completed, leaving a defeated aroma at the end of the day.

I am called to run a race.

Some days will be long and hard, others short, sweet and fruitful.

I am called to endure.

To press in when the weight seems too much to bear. When the fears of not being enough or not good enough raise their heads, clamoring for my attention. When I feel drained and useless.

God is more than enough.

I do not run this race alone.

God set me on this path when He called me into being.

Holy Spirit is my guide to help me along the best path along the way.

Jesus is waiting with wide open arms, cheering me on up ahead at the finish line.

So Monday. You may try to depress, defeat or dither with my emotions.

However….

The One who set the moon, sun and stars in place. Who separated the air from the land. Who died on the cross for me.

He is with me. Always.

I plan on listening to His voice cheering me on, whispering I love you and you can get it done and you are enough in my strength for the task ahead.

Endurance means i can face anything with God equipping, loving and walking with me.

Even Mondays.