Monday, February 28, 2011

Fickle Love

I used to love with the only love I knew how to give. Not the kind that could overcome evil with good, but the kind that could only give out of what I had already received. My love never was the kind that could move mountains. It was the fickle kind that could turn on and off...until he came along.

"We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:19

Saturday, February 26, 2011

New Creation

When her world collapsed she reached down to collect the pieces that shattered across the floor like a broken mirror no longer capable of reflecting her image. But as she fashioned the pieces back together she did not see a broken version of herself. Instead she stood back to gain perspective only to discover a beautiful mosaic of the cross.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" -2 Corinthians 5:17

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Grace

She carries courage as a staple she must have in order to scale the monumental challenges in this life. But sometimes her courage is not enough to help her muster through the journey. So she packs grace for the long road ahead.

"Each time Jesus said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." -2 Corinthians 12:9

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Shine

We carry the torch so as not to extinguish the flame. But we are not Olympians nor are we competitors. We are ordinary people running in this race called life...and we shine.

"Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever."
-Daniel 12:3

Thursday, February 17, 2011

A Dream

She picks her dream up off the shelf and remembers the way it used to feel: comfortable and familiar. Like a photograph she has seen everyday of her life or an old familiar song or a book she has read a hundred times, she knows this dream is hers. Even though she got distracted, or maybe discouraged, or even lost, she has found her way back to where she started so many years ago.

Is there a dream you have left behind?

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
-2 Timothy 1:6,7

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

A Belated Valentine

She reads poetry. He reads the paper. She presents herself quietly in a room full of people. He fills a room with his presence. She enjoys hosting parties. He is the life of the party. She dreamed of a happily ever after. He offered her one. Theirs is a match made in heaven.

"Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away."
-Song of Songs 8:6,7

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Little Valentine

She hands me a home made valentine. I give her a hug in return, knowing her valentine is mine to keep, but she is just on loan from heaven. For her life today is a glimpse of the woman she will one day become.

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father..." -James 1:17

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Sacrifice

When most people hear the word sacrifice, they immediately think of an ancient tradition belonging to an even more ancient civilization. At one point that was true for me too. Until one day, events in my life stamped the word sacrifice with an entirely new meaning on my heart.

"I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
and put their trust in him.

Blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—"

-Psalm 40:1-6

Friday, February 11, 2011

Fulfillment

Some girls wear pretty dresses. She just wears a pretty smile. Some girls laugh louder than others. She just laughs out loud. Some girls seek fulfillment from earthly treasures. She just seeks fulfillment from her Savior.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." -1 Peter 3:3,4

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Our Daughters

Our daughters long to know that they are celebrated. But how often do we silence them instead? They want to know who they are capable of becoming tomorrow as they stand before the mirror today.

It is our privilege as mothers to capture their curiosity and cast vision. If we don't, then someone else will.

"A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands." -Proverbs 14:1

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Chasing a Dream

I feel like I am chasing after a dream that is chasing someone else when that dream will not stay still long enough for me to claim it as my own. And still I check my heart from day to day to make sure the dream I chase has not become so American that it is no longer eternal.

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Monday, February 7, 2011

Loneliness

Loneliness peeks around the corner like an impatient child in a game of hide and seek. But loneliness plays a far more sophisticated game for my heart who constantly craves community.

"God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." -Psalm 68:6

Tight Rope Walker

On most days she walks a fine line between fantasy and reality. On the other days that fine line feels more like a tight rope suspending her between sanity and a straight jacket. So she waits for someone to talk her off the ledge. Then life can start moving in the right direction once again.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2

Friday, February 4, 2011

Complacency

Complacency sits in my stomach like a rock as I pass the plate, refusing to eat from it once again. For as difficult as complacency is to digest, I find it even more difficult to swallow.

What is it that you are consuming today? Or perhaps more importantly, what is consuming you?

"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm." -Proverbs 1:32, 33

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Shedding Skins

She wears a thick skin to protect herself from the elements. Her heart wears a leathery surface weathered by loss. Meanwhile she tells her story without scraping the surface of a band aid she cannot remove. When she checks the mirror she sees a girl she once knew hiding behind the face of the woman she has become. And she prays that maybe someday she will have the courage to shed that thick skin.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9