Redefining Perfect

Consider the trees. There is beauty and order in each, and yet…in a natural setting they are not lined in perfect rows. Their branches are bent and twisted, growing every which way, yet still forming something…beautiful. It’s the same with rivers and mountains, flowers and hills. Even the shoreline of an ocean changes daily with the tide.

Our lives weren’t meant to be formed on an assembly line. There will be bends and turns, times when everything seems opposite of order. Yet from a higher perspective, our Creator observes and declares, “It is good.” He is the ultimate artist, and his definition of perfect trumps our own, every time.

(This Life an Beyond | Blog)

Source: Redefining Perfect

Interrupted

It’s easy to get stressed when things don’t go my way, but maybe my way wasn’t the way the day was supposed to go. When I learn to see interruptions as opportunities, more possibilities unfold than I could have imagined had I remained trapped in the realm of disappointment.

(This Life and Beyond | Blog)

“My whole life I complained that my work was being interrupted until I realized that the interruptions were my work.”

(Henri Nouwen)

Source: Interrupted

Who’s Holding Who?

While I don’t doubt his capacity to cross the street without assistance, I do question his understanding of the potential dangers of oncoming cars. And so I’ve changed strategies. Instead of asking him to hold my hand, I ask if he’ll let me hold his. “Mommy needs your help,” I tell him. “Can you protect me from the cars?”

Source: Who’s Holding Who?

Can we have an impact on God?

I often cuddle with my three year old son, Josiah, right around his bedtime. He usually falls asleep in my arms. I treasure these moments as a small glimpse of what heaven will be like. One particular evening God used my son to paint an especially significant picture of the Father’s heart toward me.

During an extended period of quiet, I thought my son had fallen asleep. As I was about to pull away from him he pulled me back into his embrace and whispered: “daddy, I need your love.” Holding back tears, I responded “I need your love too.” The tears started to overflow when I heard God whisper into my ears:

“The way your heart is being impacted by your child’s expression of love towards you is the same way My heart is impacted when you express this type of love towards Me. When you seek my face, telling me you need my love, genuinely desiring nothing else but Me, my heart cries tears of overflowing love for you.”

As if my son was listening into my conversation with God about seeking His face and not His hand, Josiah gently put his little hands on my cheek and said “look at me Daddy.” In that still moment, with his eyes he was telling me he loved me. And with my tear-stained eyes, I was telling him I loved him too. He fell asleep looking into my eyes.

As I held my sleeping son, I cried at the realization that the One who is all-sufficient would allow his heart to be impacted by our expressions of love for Him, weak and finite as we are. Nothing can compare to the profound sense of significance that I receive from knowing the impact my love has upon my Father’s heart.

Behind the Veil

We see a dim reflection
This side of eternity
The knotted imperfection
Of an unfinished tapestry

Creation’s artist sees a masterpiece
Wisdom weaving its design
Everything made beautiful
In its perfect time

Source: Behind the Veil

Thirsty

Most of us would admit we’d rather have our water in some other form: flavored, sweetened, carbonated. And while these drinks may satisfy us temporarily, they don’t have the lasting benefits of water…

One popular commercial says, “Obey your thirst.” To do this, we have to know what we’re thirsty for. We can continue to pursue things that leave us empty, or we can let God quench our thirst permanently with the knowledge of His perfect love, which has the power to satisfy our deepest needs.

Source: Thirsty

Get Out of Bed!

Waking up involves opening our eyes and ears. But we still haven’t moved from a position of comfort. Getting up requires action. It requires moving our feet and stepping away from our place of comfort and into the realm of movement.

(This Life and Beyond | Blog)

Source: Get Out of Bed!