Tag: design

finding your sweet spot

Karla Lees

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Getting to know yourself is the key to finding out what revs your motor.

When a car is finely tuned with care by its mechanic, and is running on the right fuel, the ride is sweet.

Not taking care of your engine will cause damage to your car, not to mention the wrong fuel can cause it not to start, majorly mucking things up.

To find your sweet spot, you need to know your passions. How God has hardwired you.

Do you love to create?

Are you a teacher?

Can’t stop singing?

Love to organize?

Live to scribble?

Delight in helping?

Pray for healings?

Have a deep unshakeable faith?

Unswerving hope?

Interpret words?

Speak truth & encouragement?

These are just a few clues that can lead you to discover why you are here. God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:
wise counsel
clear understanding
simple trust
healing the sick
miraculous acts
proclamation
distinguishing between spirits
tongues
interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11

For each of us, beyond being made to worship Him, were designed to express Him through our passions. Exactly as He hardwired us to.

You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”:
apostles
prophets
teachers
miracle workers
healers
helpers
organizers
those who pray in tongues.
But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts.
1 Corinthians 4: 27-31

Our purpose is to reveal Him through us.

How you do so will be very different from how I do, for no two of us are alike. We are all unique and have a unique part in the body.

When we all live in the sweet spot, where what we were meant to do lines up with who He has made us to be?

Our lives reveal Him just as they were designed.

When everything falls in to place, a sense of home wells up within.

We find our purpose.

For the sweet spot cannot be achieved on our own. It has to align with His heart & plan for us, or it is only an empty shell of the fullness He has planned.

In His hands, life is the sweetest.

With Him is the sweet spot.

If you aren’t sure of your purpose, spend some time seeking Him. Ask Him to help you discover what may be lying dormant or unknown within you. There are great resources to take stock of your spiritual giftings, which may bring to light things you are already doing in the natural!

Be the you God designed.

 

Ruth Soukup be you HJ

Remade

Karla Lees

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The past several days, God has been peeling back some of how I look at things.

And I am being changed as He does.

Early this year, I virtually met Beth Kinder of Remade Ministries, and became a writer for their team teaching out to minister to women. Something a bit surreal at the same time as exciting and a step beyond what I had been expecting.
I sensed I was to say yes without fully understanding why.

God has been slowly revealing that why to me.

This weekend, I got the revelation that although I may have talent as a writer and a singer, a wordsmith as it were, my best words are His, and come out my best through community.

I was meant, designed to be part of a team. To co-lead, so to speak.
The times when He uses me best are when I link up with the teams He has for me to be part of, for His purposes.

And when I do, another layer within me becomes remade as He desires.

For God knows I need community to help keep me on track and focus in the hard seasons.

Because I have the tendency to lone wolf and isolate myself in the storms, leaving myself open to remaining stuck where I am.

I need the rest of the team of keep me focused on God, listening for His voice & following where He is leading me. I need their prompts, encouragement, and suggestions when I begin to falter or wallow.

Community for me is a blessing: both a gift and a necessity.

I am so thankful that God has been revealing this truth to me in deeper levels as He continues to make me new in the areas where I so desperately need Him to.

My former self used to be a walking sarcastic chip on her shoulder. I couldn’t receive constructive criticism for fear of my tightly around emotions unravelling.

My new self has accepted I need to continuously be learning, repenting, listening, following & becoming new.

Instead of running in fear from going deep with community, I am trusting in the One who is making me new.

Despite my trepidation at becoming remade, I know His plans for me will make me the best me He hardwired me to be. And how those He has blessed me to be in community with, along with Holy Spirit, are the tools He is using to reshape me.

I am so grateful for His timing, and the support of the communities He has gifted me with.

This week, I am leading. But not on my own, as part of team. And i am excited at the thought of what He will do through me, as a part of that unity.

Now is the time to be Remade, Beloved. Each day we have a fresh opportunity to learn, grow & become remade at His hands.

when the wait seems so long

Karla Lees

God has been so good to me as I have been trying to figure out what He is birthing in me.

I have had all the cravings, restless nights and emotional mood swings hit in the past few weeks, as if I really was pregnant (nope, not!) as my spirit is trying to being the rest of me into this new alignment with His plans for me.

It is not a comfortable place to be, feeling like I am ready to give birth but my due date isn’t quite here yet.

Maybe you too can relate.

The tension between the now and the not yet can be agonizing at times.

The only way you can find peace in the wait is to agree with His timing, and wait.

Because getting frustrated over what might be is only putting fuel in the enemy’s hands instead of waiting for His Spirit to ignite what is to come.

I know He has good plans for me, His love for me is never failing and He adores me.

It can be hard as we wait to find out how and where we fit into the puzzle of what He is creating His Bride to be.

But we don’t wait alone.

I draw comfort from His Presence as I wait.

It doesn’t make the wait any shorter, but it makes it better as He and I wait together.

Because He gave all He had to get His Bride, I can trust He will be with me, and as I seek His design for my life, that where I best fit will be revealed.

What He wants for us to do will come to pass as we press in to Him, wait for His lead and step into the place He has waiting for us.

As we wait, He is stirring up the embers of His gifts which have been lying dormant within, just waiting to be born & breathe new life.

It will be worth the wait when we let Him lead us into place.

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be the you God designed

Karla Lees

There are a lot of things about me which I love.

My ability to multitask
My love of puns & fun
My voice when I sing
My love of music
My eyes
My curls (95% of the time)
My feet
My passion to learn
My burning yearn for more of God

When you add all the gifts, talents, spirit & soul, and mix in my uniqueness to the packaging God custom designed, I am the result.

God didn’t just whip me off a conveyor belt, He took care, with planning & purpose & love in mind, as He set about making the spark of cells that would become me, only me.

Ever thought about just how much ‘detailed programming’ God invested in your creation?

He thought about making you, and you came to be, at exactly the right moment in time & history.

You are no accident.

I came out with more than a few quirks:

My pinkies are significantly shorter than the rest of my fingers.
I have a few birthmarks, my fave being the upside down heart on the back of my left leg.
I have freckles, and skin that turns shades of red vs lovely tan like colors.
I have a mouth on the smaller side for all the teeth that tried to come in.
I have a limited trunk.
I visibly cringe when I hear a wrong note.
I don’t like coffee, beer or cigarettes.

Just as my gifts & talents are by His design, my quirks were also known by Him.

My whole life was taken into consideration before He created me.

The same for you!

You are so well known by the Master Craftsman.

Not only does He know your strengths & quirks, but two other key factors:

He knew you wouldn’t do well on your own, so He placed you where you would have family; by blood or by choice.

He knew you would fail. To live up to His standards, others expectations, your own hopes & dreams.

The need for Jesus was woven into our very DNA to help us become alive as He designed, as only He can bring to life.

Out of love,
He gave us each a custom gift.
Life.

Because of how we lived,
because of our hurts & shackles,
because of our great need,
He gave us His most precious gift, new life through Jesus.

He not only set us free
& made us clean,
He welcomes each of us
who come to Him
with arms wide open
into our forever family.

When we begin to truly live
our lives with Him,
following His leading
as He guides us,
our gifts and talents awaken
and begin to make sense,
as we become one with
His unique action plan for us.

How I live out become more ‘me’ will look very different from someone who is an extrovert, a gifted athlete, or evangelist, for example.

I am so thankful that God gave us direction, through His Word & through Holy Spirit’s prompting within those who accept His lead.

I am very grateful that the God who designed and shaped me is continuing to do so as I ask for His help navigating the life laid out ahead of me.

I am especially moved when I remember the pain Jesus purposefully chose on the cross to show me (you) His passion for me (you).

Embrace the freedom to be yourself. He wants you to be the you He designed for you to be, with Him walking closely beside you every step of the way.

As I become more ‘me’, my prayer is I reveal more ‘He’ to those around me.

That my efforts to live reveal His hands keeping me safe, His love anchoring my heart, His wisdom in my choices, and His glory when I hit the mark!

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#betheyouHedesigned

lining up where I shouldn’t

Karla Lees

Don’t compare yourself to others. Compare yourself only to the person you were yesterday. @toddclark

The comparison trap will cause me to believe what I see, and forget what I know. Beth Kinder  www.strongholdthebook.com

I have a problem with my mirror. Maybe you can relate.

My mirror doesn’t show just my reflection, but lines me up beside others I compare myself to, every time i approach it.

In fact, I can’t remember a time besides my wedding day, that i looked in the mirror and just saw me.

Until yesterday.

I decided after having some fun with matching my red undertones for an all over foxy red these past eight months to head back to my roots.  Which are a dirty blonde with i suspect a few streaks of grey.  I am trying to simplify my life, and fussing with hair dye every time my roots show is too high maintenance for me (but that is me, if you can do it, bless you!)

After my daughter helped get all the dye on, i realized that as I was looking in the mirror, I was wondering what people would think if the grey starts coming in as I let my hair go natural.

Then i thought of a few women i know who always have perfect coiffed hair, as my nana would say.  Without a hair out of place.

And as my mind began to wander down that path, this time i caught myself, as i reminded myself of a quote that came to mind:

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

I don’t need to worry or compare myself to others, because let’s face it, everybody is struggling with something.  Just because it can’t be seen on the outside, doesn’t mean it isn’t there on the inside.

I am tired of judging myself by people’s standards, and lining their opinions up beside me in the mirror.

I choose His standard for me, which is Jesus.

I choose His design for me, which is unique.

I matter to Him, because of His timely & costly investment in me.

I don’t have to compare myself to anyone, but rather I choose listen to His heart for me, which is to live free & close to Him.  I choose to change the things He is most concerned about uprooting from me, and embrace the newness He has waiting for me.

Quite frankly, my hair color, or my extra weight, or my freckles, or my naked nails are between God & me.

Stop allowing the enemy to invite other people into the conversation God wants to have with you alone.

It was quite a jolt to my mind to realize where my thoughts naturally start to wander.

And they wandered back to a particularly hurtful grade 7 classmate, who embarrassed me in front of the whole class through her writing about me. Which I believed has been fully dealt with, not!

God reminded me today that the reason there was still an entry point for the enemy was due to my harboring unforgiveness, and shared with me that the person wasn’t trying to be deliberately cruel as it came across, but was very insecure & jealous and was trying to knock me out of competition for our mutual friend’s affection.

By my not forgiving her as a person, but just the action, I allowed a piece of the root to remain, and the enemy has been nurturing it to grow down deep over the years.

I am so done with that!

So i pray,

“God, I fully and completely forgive S___________. I believe Your blood is more than enough to forgive all my sins, and I extend the same mercy to her that You extended to me. Full & utter forgiveness in Jesus’ mighty name.  Wherever she is, I ask You to release Your Spirit to whisper the truths You long for her to hear into her mind, heart & spirit.  I ask You to restore to me the joy I had in being myself, in embracing who You designed & called me to be.  Uproot the enemy plant You have just destroyed, and release a fresh sense of Your wholeness and peace where it used to live.  May I ever delight in hearing Your words spoken over me. May I ever trust in You as the Lover of my Soul.  May i never lose the wonder of knowing how much YOU delight in ME. May I continually bring the things which are breaking me down & place them into Your hands for You to build me up. Where the enemy played for harm, restore Your goodness & purpose in my life.  Blessed be the Lord!  I pray this as one of Your beloved, Abba.  In Jesus’ name, and Holy Spirit power. Amen.”

Instead of letting ourselves see just our outer beauty, let’s join God in seeing His hand & move in our lives.  As children of the King, as the beloved bride of God, let’s allow the Lion of Judah to arise within, and move forward in the confidence of who we really are.

self-improvement

No matter what we look like its who we are inside that truly counts.

His handiwork.

His child.

His delight,

His beloved.

His!

dirty to clean

Karla Lees

We don’t contaminate Christ with our brokenness, He makes us clean through His glorious presence!  Sheila Walsh

I confessed yesterday that I love the story of Cinderella, which i find to be a great allegory of the Kingdom.

I believe love is the central theme, around which brokenness, humility, ashes & grief swirled in an attempt of the enemy’s to snuff out the light shining in Ella.

Her position of beloved daughter was crushed by her cruel stepmother & harsh stepsisters.

Not content with making her their servant, they ridiculed her and made life even harder for her…naming her Cinderella, to remind her of her new position in the household, no longer daughter, but servant.

But the lessons Ella learned as a child at the feet of her loving father (and in the new Disney movie, her loving mother) lingered and refused to be completely snuffed out. Her kind nature and gentle manner were daily choices she made in response to the harsh circumstances she found herself in.

And when she couldn’t take anymore, grace stepped in and gifted her with revealing who she really was, despite her horrible living conditions.

A princess on the inside.

Worthy of the best, to wear the dress, to not only meet royalty but destined to become royal.

Fear rose up and caused her to flee, but her Beloved moved heaven and earth to find her, for she was His counterpart, and He would have no other.

He not only restored her dignity, but elevated her with His love. Her background did not matter except to highlight her true character.

She was meant to be His.

And so are you.

You too may feel like Cinderella, like you are too dirty from what is going on to approach your Prince. You nay be beaten down by harsh words, stuck in a job you’d rather not be working at, be on your own struggling, have difficult family to deal with, or feel dirty from the weight of bad choices or sin.

God doesn’t care where you have been. He is more than enough to set you free, clean you up, heal you inside and out, and make you His. His goodness is not muddied by our sin, just the opposite. His goodness chases the sin and grime away, until the real us is all He can see.

I have said it before, but i need to hear the reminder again myself:

I am a Princess in His eyes.

As Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the Son of the Most High God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, then the Bride He is pursuing? He reminds her that her shoe, the design He has for her, will fit in His hands and with His love accompanying her, always.

When we become His, we all are changed in His site to the beautiful ball gowned princess. He clothes us in white, and sets us beside Him at His banquet feast, at the marriage celebration He is throwing to celebrate we are His!

Once we agree to be His, our past only serves to contrast where we are headed to with Him. It is to remind us how far we have come, and how much we need to stay in relationship with our Prince.

Our Prince is not slumming when He chooses His bride.

He made us so exquisitely, just so, each one of us. Together we make up His heart on the outside.
The Bride He has always longed for, hidden across time until he awakens us through His love.

The Prince not only rescued Cinderella from her old life, he completely set her free from it, into a new identity, her true identity.

He broke the chains that bound her, and released her into the freedom He had in store for her once he found her.

Jesus offers the same loving hand to us.

Like the Prince in Cinderella, He does not plan on stopping His pursuit of His bride, ever. Until she is complete, and 100% whole.

It is His love that brought her to life again. His love which freed her. His love wanting to cherish her. His love He desired to spend the rest of His life sharing with her.

It’s His life that will bring you to life again. His love which will free you. His love wanting to cherish you. His love He desires to spend the rest of His life sharing with you.

This love passionately & permanently moved heaven & earth to find you. His love will always triumph!

If He says the shoe fits, it does 🙂

And since He lives for eternity, what a happy ever after we have in store for us!

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how the weight of His glory can fall like snow

Karla Lees

How much does a snowflake weigh?

Someone who measures such things determined that an individual snowflake weighs 0.02* grams. At that weight it would take 50 flakes to make a gram. For comparison, a Hershey’s kiss weighs 4.7 grams – equal to about 235 snowflakes. There are about 95 kisses in a pound. Using the kiss-to-snow crystal calculator that comes to 22,325 snowflakes/pound.
*this would be the heaviest end of the spectrum. Most are much lighter, weighing from 0.001 to 0.003 grams.

In reality, it’s hard to measure the weight of a snowflake. For one thing, each snowfall is different. Some snow is light and fluffy, and some is heavy and wet. That’s due to the water content in the snow, which is related to the temperature high in the clouds where the flakes began forming, and the temperature of the air they fall through.

Quote from: http://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.ca/2011/01/how-much-does-snowflake-weigh.html?m=1

An individual snowflake doesn’t weigh much in the big scheme of things.  Yet God designed each one uniquely, placing great care in its creation.

And despite its miniscule weight, it still manages to fall to earth, again as part of God’s plan.

Why am I bringing up snowflakes during winter?

Because of last night.

Last night, while worshipping, I “saw” how snow & the weight of His glory relate in how they both fall.

Each snowflake is designed for a purpose, and only fulfills that purpose when it falls with the rest of the snowflakes in the same snowfall or storm.

On its own, it isn’t particularly heavy, but when you add up the weight it forms when it piles up, it can be quite significant.

Each snowflake’s composition is perfect for the design of its fall, the exact amount of water contained within to be the perfect part of the team alongside the other snowflakes….all unique yet made to fall together.

There are two ways snow is a great example of the weight of His glory.

We are all like those snowflakes. And He will perfectly fill us with the right amount of water (living water, His Presence) so we are filled for the purpose we are to live out that day….so we can share it with those around us.

His glory? Its weight falls like the snowflake. Perfectly attuned and made for its recipient.  And when a group gathers seeking His Presence, the weight of His glory gets heavier, as He falls on everyone in the room.  Some can sense it landing heavily, others sense a light touch.  He uniquely meets each of us with the exact right weight, more than enough for us in that exact moment, but never exactly like someone else’s.

Just like each snowflake, God’s Presence falls on each of us how He knows it will best soak in & water us.

When the weight of His glory falls heavily, as a heavy snowstorm can cause traffic to come to a standstill, so does time seem to come to a standstill.  The air gets thick, charged with power and spiritual electricity as He enters the room in His majesty.

The weight of His glory
falls snowflake by snowflake
until the full weight
of His tangible Presence
descends:
soaking in,
cleansing,
refreshing
as Heaven
meets earth
in a fantastic
exchange.

Unlike how we have no control over the snowfall, we can ask God to come to us.

His word promises He will come when we seek Him:

Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit.

 -Jesus, Acts 1:8

He will come when we seek Him. Exactly how & the when is up to Him.  Who He falls on with the weight of His glory? That depends on us:

Read the Word.  The God you find described there is real, and wants a real relationship with you.

Take some time to seek Him every day.  Even a five minute break can be used by Him to refresh you.  An extended period of time where you just seek and wait for Him? Even better. Even in the midst of being about His business on a short timetable, Jesus still made the time to spend with His Father:

As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

Luke 5:16 MSG

Worship Him for who He is.  He loves to be praised, and promises to live where He is honored & lifted high:

Yet you are holy,enthroned on the praises of Israel, Your people.

Psalm 22:3 ESV

Thank Him for what He has done. For making you His. For caring for you. For the blessings He has already poured out on you and the ones He promises are to come:

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11 MSG

Believe He will come:

Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a mustard or  poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.

Matthew 17:20 MSG

Just like the snow, which continues to fall, so will the weight of His glory when we keep seeking Him.

It may feel like a snowflake landing on your nose. It may be  like a tingle or charge of static electricity. It may feel like a heaviness on your shoulders. It may feel like a heat wave, a fresh burst of wind, bubbling up joy or a peace unlike any you have ever known.

He will come. Just as sure as winter will always come again!

(PS. Here is a great song to hear to help set the atmosphere to seek Him: Weight of Glory)

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Image from: http://www.kidzworld.com

Reason #2 to Give Thanks: When it Clicks

Karla Lees

When something somehow goes right despite your fears or concerns, somehow clicking into place unexpectedly- I give God thanks.

Coz when I invite Him in to the situation or day, He was there, and is the main reason for success when things click!  

Knowing He is always with me reminds me the praise i owe the Giver of my gifts, especially when I come to the end of my strength and ask Him to take over.

For all the times when things work out, despite all that might try to distract or remind me how impossible success will be, I give thanks! Each and every time!

Early this morning, I headed as usual on the first of two buses to an admin job I work part time. The bus schedules just changed this week with the return to school, and my usual bus was in fact an express which bypasses the connection depot I needed to catch my next bus at.
I got off on the first stop passed, crossed the road and prayed asking God to let the right bus cone as soon as possible to get me to the depot. 30 seconds later, the bus arrived, and within 10 minutes I was at the depot.

My next bus (now bus 3 instead of 2) was still waiting at the depot, and I walked right on.

To my delight & surprise, a former coworker was the scheduled bus driver!

If I had caught the first correct bus, I would have missed being on her route at that time!

God made everything click so we could reconnect, even having me take the wrong bus!

Once again, I offer Him thanks for lining up all the pieces to fit together according to His design for me today!

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You. Daniel 2:23

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entrusting a teen with the King

Karla Lees

I was very struck by God’s choice of Mary.

Not because I don’t think she was a good choice, but because she wasn’t the obvious choice.

Most of us, if we are honest, would have chosen a gal more like Elizabeth: wise in experience, settled, already married.

Not a teenager still living at home.

But we look at this part of the Christmas story from our own time in history. Our culture, our values, our biases.

God looks at it as an important part of His Story. His values, first and foremost.

Mary had a deep faith, and likely deep dependence upon God based on her life experience and background. The Word doesn’t mention her upbringing, so it was likely a normal one.
Our hope for our daughters is for them to be lovingly well suited in marriage, with a good job, and a nice place to live.

I am sure Mary’s parents wanted the same for her that my husband and I do for our’s:

His best.

God chose Mary, whom He considered His best, as the mother of His greatest gift to us.

Mary must have been quaking in her sandals at the thought of the enormity of responsibility being placed on her shoulders.

The Messiah was going to grow in her womb, despite her innocence.
The one who will save His people.
The one they have been waiting for for generations.

There must have been quite the inner revelation going on in Mary shortly after, likely the following key questions:

1) What will my parents think?

2) What will Joseph, my fiancee, think?

3) What will my community think?

4) What’s going to happen?

In those days, (mostly our days too) a pregnancy is an obvious sign of bedroom activity.  Which in God’s design is supposed to be reserved for the marriage bed only.

Any one of Mary’s family, her fiancee or her neighbors all would have had the right to publicly accuse her as her pregnancy became evident, and the price if convicted? Stoning.

Right off the bat, this baby literally just conceived is in danger.

And so is His mother.

Yet there is no evidence of Mary worrying written in the Christmas story.

She must have had some awesome rock solid God is going to do it if He says He will and I am safe in His hands no matter what kind of faith. He has said (through Gabriel) He was with her. How she must have clung to that truth.

In those days and times, when the Romans were invading the land, and the Jews were getting restless under their tight reins, God knew the timing was right for His son to be born.

For such a time as this.

God chose Mary, as she was the right choice.

His choice.

Since He is God, after all, Mary was the perfect choice.

God has a habit of choosing what the world would see as foolish to reveal more of His glory as a result.

Of course He would do so in the greatest gift giving He was preparing to unveil!

#AdventuresinAdvent
#TheMaryChronicles

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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.