tReAsuREd

"You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations 

of the earth to be his own special treasure."

Deuteronomy 14:2

One of my favorite things to do is to take items that have already been used-and have served their purpose-and try to see if I can remake them into something purposeful once again.  A friend of mine was going to toss (or try to sell for 25¢ at the yard sale we were having at the time) a single gold plate charger. Typically plate chargers come in a pack of four.  I don't know what happened to the other three, but I understand why she, without hesitation, gratefully gave me the plate charger.  

Plate chargers are meant to be decorative and to adorn the table with or without place mats.  Chargers are only as good as the number of plates you set on a table, so a lonely, all-on-its-own charger doesn't serve a table much purpose.  I, on the other hand, saw great potential for this single charger.  

I saw a new purpose.  

With a little mod podge, scrapbook paper, punch-out letters, tiles from a Scrabble game, lace and hot glue, this charger became a new piece of inspirational Scripture art for my kitchen wall.  Surrounded by sentimental antique plates, the charger displaying the verse from Proverbs 13:12 stands out on its own as a most treasured piece.

God, too, treasures you.  He sees you as someone He has set apart from the pack.  He set you apart to be holy, to display His glory.  He has chosen you for a purpose.  He has chosen you to be His own special treasure.  It does not matter if you and I feel like we have been used, if we feel tossed aside, if we feel lonely or worthless, or even if we feel like we are trash.  The truth is not our feeling.  The truth is God's Word, which tells us we are TREASURED.  

I like to think God, too, sees potential in us to be the Scripture art He wants to hang on His wall and be inspired by every day.  You are tReAsuREd, all-on-your-own, one-of-a-kind, set apart for His own special purpose.  You are loved and adored by a most loving God.  Let that truth change the way you and I feel about ourselves, and let us stand out as most treasured pieces.

Fools Climb Trees

"He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. 'Zacchaeus!' he said. 'Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.'"

Luke 19:3-4

The story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 always makes me smile.  To picture a man of wealth, of stature (both in achievement and shortness of height), and of intimidation climbing a tree just amuses me.  But I think more than just amusement, this story brings great admiration.  I admire people who are willing to look foolish for Jesus.  Foolish in the sense that they don't care what the crowd thinks; they care only that they see Jesus and Jesus sees them.  

I know I feel the most foolish when I feel the Spirit urging me to do something in faith.  For example, last week it was pouring down rain.  I mean, it felt like I was driving through a waterfall all the way home.  To get to my home, I have to turn a corner around a median in order to park.  As I was about to turn, I noticed a young woman standing on the corner with her arms crossed as if she was hugging herself.  She was waiting for the bus, and there was no covering for her to stand under except for a tree.  I turned the corner and parked my car.  I felt the Spirit telling me to go give her an umbrella.

I sat in my car, for what seemed like fifty minutes, debating with myself.  I could just go inside my dry house and ignore that nudging thought, or I could be bold and risk looking a bit foolish by going over and handing a complete stranger an umbrella.  Even now, as I share this, I feel more of a fool for debating what was obviously the right choice. 

Yes, climbing a tree to see Jesus is a risk of looking foolish to the crowd.  But a risk for Jesus is worth the reward of Him seeing you.  I found a spare umbrella in my car (not a coincidence) and drove back around the block to hand a most grateful stranger an umbrella.  When I parked my car the second time, I no longer felt the fear of foolishness pouring down on me like the rain.  Rather, I felt a bit of sunshine poking through and warming me within.  

Welcome Jesus into the home of your heart today by climbing whatever tree you need to climb in order to see Him and for Him to see you.  Truly, we are most lost when we allow the fear of foolishness to conquer our faith.  Go climb your trees, faithful ones, and don't worry about looking foolish or even feeling foolish, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10)   

Take 5

"So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!" 

Ecclesiastes 9:7

My favorite snack (or sometimes I eat it as a meal) is edamame.  I love it for its quickness to make (boil water, drop in, boil edamame for 5 minutes, drain [I use a spoon strainer], and sprinkle with sea salt), for its healthy benefits (click on this for benefits), and for its utter simplicity.  It's as delicious cold (I'll cook it and pack it for lunch the next day) as it is fresh out of the boiling water.  

But the best part of edamame is that after I drop the pods into the boiling water, I take that five minutes to be still with God.  I know that might seem crazy, but when do we just stop the busyness of our day and spend five minutes with God?  Edamame is my excuse, or rather, my reminder.  Since this snack/meal doesn't require any other attention than waiting, then I wait with God.  I'll journal, pray, or read His Word while I wait.  Those five minutes with God as I listen to the water bubbling and spitting a few feet away from me are five minutes of total peace.  Then, once it's over, I have a heart and tummy full of joy.

Less is More. A Whole Lot More.

" Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Matthew 6:19-21

The adage, "Less is more," can be applied to all areas of our lives.  We often take on more than we should.  I hadn't realized the full meaning of this until recently.  I understood this to mean all the things I was doing was probably too much and I needed to cut back so that I would have more time to do the things I was meant to do.  While this is true, "Less is more" also applies to my material things.

When I moved to Houston, I had to change my way of thinking when it came to my living environment.  I downsized from a 1700 sq. ft. house to a 600 sq. ft. condo.  I had a lot of furniture and decor that I had to let go of.  At first, it was really difficult for me to downsize because I'm a sentimental person and I felt guilty of letting go of certain items.  After some prayer and the realization that there was no practical way to keep all of my things, I felt God's Spirit of peace and direction to keep only what I truly loved and only what was practical.

Now, almost 7 months later of living in this small condo, I realize three invaluable truths:

1. I had A LOT of stuff!  Stuff I didn't need, stuff that got in the way of living more freely, stuff that I don't even miss.
2. MORE was causing MORE STRESS.  The more space I had, the more stuff I had, the more stress I had.  When you have more, you have more to keep up with, you have more to clean, you have more to maintain and manage.  
3. With less stuff and less space, I have more of what I NEED such as TIME, ENERGY, and PEACE.

Less is more...a whole lot more of what we need.  I don't know about you, but I need a lot more of Christ, and when I'm distracted by my stuff, I know it's time to purge.  Let's remove all that clutters and keeps us from having more of Christ today.  Let us have more of Him and less of this world.

Joy. Go After It.

"You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

John 16:24

A Poem Inspired by Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come

and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Psalm 46:1-2

This is an incredibly inspiring chapter in the book of Psalm.  The writer is in total awe of God.  So am I...

Bring it! Bring what you got, Life!  

Bring all the ugly, the bad, the pain, 

the heartaches and heartbreaks.  

Bring it!  Come on!  

Try to take out from under me

this Solid Rock upon which I stand.

I dare you, Life! 

Because, guess what?  My God is bigger.  

He is better.  He is more powerful.  

He will devastate you, oh you troublesome Life! 

He is my Refuge.  No matter what you throw at me; 

He will protect me.  He is ready.  

Mountains like my finances, my job, my marriage, 

my family, my health, my security, my dreams may all crumble; 

but God, 

He is my strength.  He is my help.  

'Help? Ha!' you roar at me with thick yellow breath. 

'Where was He to help you when all of that was crumbling?  

When you were drowning in an ocean of sorrows and hurt and loneliness?  

Where was your help?'

In here.  The whole time.  I say as I point to my heart. 

Waiting.

'Waiting?' Life scoffs.

Yes, waiting on me.  To be still.  To let Him be God.

He has been ready.  

He is armed for battle.  And. Ready.

Be prepared, Life.

You ain't got the best of me.

The best of me is HIM.

And you ain't ever going to get Him!

This is why I don't fear you.  

I fear the one True Living God.

He is unshakable.

And though I may be broken by the earthquakes you've caused,

I will never be moved.  My God secures me.  

Forever.
And Life, you can't touch forever.
God's got that in His back pocket.
So, bring it!
Come on, Life! That the best you got?