I envision our hearts like a garden. We are born into this world with a void of fertile soil in our hearts for God to in-fill. Many times, before we have reached the age of 5 years old, we have received messages of rejection, unworthiness, incompetence, and extreme conditional love. As we grow and mature, our hearts become filled with messages that are lies and (more…)
After having my coffee this morning, I was standing at my kitchen sink, and I thought of a commercial advertising the Mr. Kleen Magic Eraser. I wondered if this hidden jewel underneath my sink that I was saving for walls might clean a coffee pot. My coffee pot is an automatic percolator made of stainless steel. It doesn’t take long for the oils and stain from coffee to build-up on the inside of the pot and filter basket that holds the coffee grounds. (more…)
From my perspective my mother is the most wonderful mother God could have blessed me with. She is a light of love, patient and humble, very wise, industrious and creative. My mom is a woman who speaks the truth in a gentle, yet penetrating way, driving to the very core of my heart. My mom is simple at heart, yet there is a unique beauty in her, a magnificent beauty that reflects into others lives. She is a jewel that stands out in the crowd. Her eyes are blue, full of light and depth. Her smile invites acceptance and her heart steers one to live life to the fullest. My mom is love.
When I was a teenager, I did not think this much of my mom’s guidance. I thought I knew all the answers and that I knew far better for my life than she could know. Oddly, during all those years, when anyone said anything against my mom, I quickly came to her defense. The experiences in my life of my mom speaking truth to me were not easy and as a teenager caused me to sometimes resent her. Those resentments and pains turned into an understanding that although I was wrong in some things, my mom loved me enough to tell me the truth about myself, which spurred me into a deeper relationship with God and her.
Once I recognized that my mother had my best interest in her heart I saw things in a different way. I began to mature and recognize that my thinking had changed and I longed for more of the wisdom my mother offered. She is a woman who allowed me to live out my life and learn from whatever mistakes I would make. She came through life in the same way. If I had not had the mother God so carefully chose for me, I would never have received the love, encouragement and lessons only she could give. I became the woman I am because of my mother’s gifts of love and truth.
I am thankful I woke up and put away childish thinking while realizing what an absolute blessing my mom is to all of my sisters, my daughters, my grandchildren and me. Without her guidance, acceptance and love we would not have sought the love that was sitting in the palm of our hands, even though we could not see it.
Thank you mom for guiding me, for believing in me and mostly for loving me! I am grateful you are the mother God chose for me! I love you!
What do you think of when you think of One heart, One mind, and One love? It makes me think of how much we have in common as human beings and don’t even realize it. I believe we all are running after the same thing more than anything. What is it we want more than anything? What is it we chase after in life? What is it that is going to bring us contentment and peace above all else?
From my perspective, it is love. Like you, I want a love that comes from a place of sincerity and truth. I want love from a heart that accepts me. I want it from a heart that honors me. I want love from one who knows the True love. (more…)
How many times have your eyes been drawn to someone because of their outward attractiveness? How many times have you chosen people to be on your team, to be a friend, or to be a spouse based on outward appearance? Have you ever been in a relationship because someone chose you exclusively because of your appearance?
My experience has been both. I have chosen and I have been chosen, based on outward attractiveness and appearance before taking the very necessary time to be known or to know. What about you?
Many of the devastating events that happen in our lives can be at the hand of someone we chose to be a part of our lives. Oftentimes, I have wondered why I skipped the step of taking the time to really know people. I concluded, it was a lack of instruction and knowledge given to me. What I mean to say is that it seemed perfectly normal for me to fall into relationships quickly, with the most handsome man and without taking the time to really know him. I don’t think anyone ever taught me to do this differently, but if they did maybe I already had so many holes in me that I missed it!
In 1 Samuel 16, God gave Samuel the responsibility to choose a new king for Israel-a king to rule over all the people. What a huge responsibility, not only for Samuel, but also for the one chosen to sit on the throne! In God’s instructions to Samuel, He was very clear with him about not selecting a person based on appearance. Saul, a very tall and attractive man, was the king that God was replacing. Since Saul had become consumed more with what people thought of him than his relationship with God, he no longer made a great leader and king, so God had him removed from the throne (I Samuel 15).
Have you ever chosen to be in a relationship exclusively based on appearance and beauty? Has anyone ever chosen you based on those outward masks?
God’s words to Samuel were, “I do not look at the things man looks at, I look at the heart.” Why don’t we look at the hearts of people? Could it be because we are conditioned by our culture? If you have spent any time thumbing through magazines or watching television, you can easily see that our culture encourages and motivates people to believe that outward appearance is more important than anything. It is a market that drives us to think only of ourselves and how much we can accumulate. When we do this all the things constantly distract us, and as a result, we don’t stop to look inside ourselves to explore why we are doing what we do!
If God is looking at our hearts, maybe we should take the time necessary to heal. We could start with asking for forgiveness, receiving forgiveness and moving forward in His “FREE” love. It seems like it makes more sense for us to stop trying so hard to hide all of our imperfections by adding more “stuff”, and understand that God loves us just like we are! His love is free and so is His forgiveness.
I wonder what it would look like if we decided to change our way of thinking and to look at others straight into their hearts before we decide we know someone well enough to become involved in relationships. When we ignore this vital step in choosing people to be a part of our lives, we may lose an opportunity to have a full and healthy relationship. We should strive to be a person of character and not worry about all the other “stuff”. God’s love creates character. Conforming to society’s standard creates more stuff around us!
I am not saying that character is missing in all those with lovely outward appearances and beauty; what I am saying is that it’s crucial to take the time to discover your own heart and the heart of others. Then you will know if “the stuff” is just stuff or a cover-up.
What are you doing to free your heart of all the debris so when others see you they will see a true heart of love? Do you know that a free heart will attract a free heart?
There truly is nothing on this earth more beautiful, more alive and more alluring than a person who loves from a heart that is free to love!