Growing up we had a lot of paintings at our house. My parents love art. Yearly, we would take the ones that were faded or damaged by the sun to our cousin’s gallery to restore them to the same beautiful colors and shades. The same is true with healing. God and I have been talking a lot about that lately and we have had some sweet talks. That this whole life business is about healing and restoring us to what we were created to be, more like Him. And somehow we have managed to make it everything else but that.
Yet we wonder why this kind of life is our reality. A reality in which we have found everything else but our true selves. Our true selves free from labels, free from parameters of do and don’ts. And to get there would require open-heart surgery. It would require thorough examination and observation and complete trust and confidence in the hands of your surgeon. I observed my first open heart surgery in my uncles operating room when I was fourteen I believe. I saw the heart beating in his hands and I was fascinated. He had someone’s heart in his very own hands. And at that very moment he had the power to restore what was damaged. And it reminded me of the Great Physician. That God can perform that miracle with all of us if we only let Him. He doesn’t want us to hide behind facades. He doesn’t want us to hide behind church, popularity, long hours at work and busy schedules, car pools etc. He wants us to trust Him that much with what we deem so precious.
I used to be there. For the longest time I could not find myself in pictures. I mean practically I was there, well my image was there. But I just could not see myself in my pictures. The “Me” I knew wasn’t there. But about a month ago a friend handed me a picture of myself taken the night before and there I was people. Finally, I made it. And it was the sweetest victory! A much awaited reunion with myself if you will. I know I am weird, so bare with me. I thought of all that it took to get to this very moment. The high cost of labels and being prey to other’s opinions. I say if people want to call you crazy, please do yourself a favor and declare yourself insane for Jesus. That would put an end to it. There is a high cost to total discipline and surrender to God. I am telling you He will tell you to do some things that your rational mind cannot comprehend.
But I promise you He will honor that obedience with a whole heart. A heart that is free from any contingency, any boundary, and any limitation. A heart that is free to love no strings attached. A heart that fully knows the peace that surpasses all understanding. A heart that can finally be safe to cry. A heart that relentlessly seeks his face before His hand. A heart that is free from a popularity contest. A heart that is emotionally bankrupt yet bursting with love. A heart that rushes to forgive. A heart free from wounds yet filled with beautiful scares. He longs to give you a healed heart. And you don’t have to wait for a donor. He has already offered!
Let’s be brave enough to share our hearts rather than our opinions. Let’s embrace and encourage that rather than look at it as extra terrestrial activity on earth. Sharing our hearts is what is going to set us free from ourselves. It will be the only thing that will bring about change in cultures, people, societies, countries, and the world. And it starts with us, with you and me. It is that simple. Remember this was heart, not brain surgery. Christ dwells in our hearts. He specializes in heart transplants! I pray that we would keep searching till we find our true selves in the picture.
Love you all deeply!
December 13, 2008
November 8, 2008
BEAUTIFUL
I was driving home tonight from an event for women. And let me tell you. They are amazing! During one of the exercises I got to partner with a sweet lady. And there it was again. “I am not beautiful”! We have an epidemic in our hands. God and I have been talking about this for the last two months. Some of you don’t know that on the weekends I work at a clothing store. I truly enjoy serving women using one of my passions. I get to create! I am always designing in my head. I have a whole portfolio in there.
My favorite part is that I get to know these women a little. I get to observe how they look at themselves in the mirror or how they look at other women and the “upbeat” comments about their figures. I have learned to hear what they are not saying in their looks. And it is heart breaking! They are in such a hurry to put themselves down first so the other women don’t have to do it for them. And don t let me start with young girls these days. I talk to a handful of them on regular basis and the stories I hear. I look at them and they are truly breathtaking! Beauty has become a disease!
Personally, it’s never been a major struggle. I don’t have the “gift” of comparison. I have never wanted to be or look like anybody else. I do my own thing. I reinvent my style every season. I learned from my parents that true beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I grew up hearing them say: “God made only one Ejvis. You are an original and you are Ours(as in God and theirs)”. And to this day I still believe that. I can’t brag enough about my father. But the women in my family are something else. They are strong, powerful, beautiful, true women. I used to think they had a club and I couldn’t wait to join them.
So, God and I decided to declare October the month of Beauty. I made a point to tell women they were beautiful. Not pretty or cute, but beautiful. I said that to every woman in the store. To every young girl I talked to. And I meant it! They were all different shapes and sizes and they were beautiful! And there I saw it. The sparkle in their eyes, the smile on their faces, the bounce in their step. They started talking to each other in the fitting rooms. The compliments were flying all over the place. The dreaded fitting room turned into a place of fellowship, a place of acceptance and true beauty. There is something so special about a woman telling another woman they’ re beautiful.
When a man tells me I am beautiful it fills me with delight, it melts my heart. But when a woman tells me I am beautiful it gives me inner strength. I feel powerful! Beautiful is our inheritance, it’s our title if you will, our legacy on this earth. Beautiful is not what we become it’s what we were born! When Adam saw Eve for the first time he went Wow Man! That is your name! Have you ever thought why masterpieces are so beautiful?! Because they are originals of their creator. Girls, accept the invitation to the Beautiful club. It’s hand written by the King of Kings himself. Lets put an end to the epidemic! Know that the King is enthralled with your beauty and share the invitation with another sister.
You are BEAUTIFUL:)
My favorite part is that I get to know these women a little. I get to observe how they look at themselves in the mirror or how they look at other women and the “upbeat” comments about their figures. I have learned to hear what they are not saying in their looks. And it is heart breaking! They are in such a hurry to put themselves down first so the other women don’t have to do it for them. And don t let me start with young girls these days. I talk to a handful of them on regular basis and the stories I hear. I look at them and they are truly breathtaking! Beauty has become a disease!
Personally, it’s never been a major struggle. I don’t have the “gift” of comparison. I have never wanted to be or look like anybody else. I do my own thing. I reinvent my style every season. I learned from my parents that true beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I grew up hearing them say: “God made only one Ejvis. You are an original and you are Ours(as in God and theirs)”. And to this day I still believe that. I can’t brag enough about my father. But the women in my family are something else. They are strong, powerful, beautiful, true women. I used to think they had a club and I couldn’t wait to join them.
So, God and I decided to declare October the month of Beauty. I made a point to tell women they were beautiful. Not pretty or cute, but beautiful. I said that to every woman in the store. To every young girl I talked to. And I meant it! They were all different shapes and sizes and they were beautiful! And there I saw it. The sparkle in their eyes, the smile on their faces, the bounce in their step. They started talking to each other in the fitting rooms. The compliments were flying all over the place. The dreaded fitting room turned into a place of fellowship, a place of acceptance and true beauty. There is something so special about a woman telling another woman they’ re beautiful.
When a man tells me I am beautiful it fills me with delight, it melts my heart. But when a woman tells me I am beautiful it gives me inner strength. I feel powerful! Beautiful is our inheritance, it’s our title if you will, our legacy on this earth. Beautiful is not what we become it’s what we were born! When Adam saw Eve for the first time he went Wow Man! That is your name! Have you ever thought why masterpieces are so beautiful?! Because they are originals of their creator. Girls, accept the invitation to the Beautiful club. It’s hand written by the King of Kings himself. Lets put an end to the epidemic! Know that the King is enthralled with your beauty and share the invitation with another sister.
You are BEAUTIFUL:)
October 27, 2008
BEING IN LOVE
Nowadays, we are in love with just about anything. We are in love with the newest gadget in the market, or the newest organic fabric out there. Ah, and don’t let me forget the hip color of eye shadow MAC came out with for their fall line. And of course we fall in love with people. How, I am still trying to figure it out. But what really shocks me is that when it comes to Jesus and falling in love with Him, makes us just a little too uncomfortable, uneasy if you will. We are somewhat repulsed at the idea.You know. We love Him and all, He is our Savior after all, but it’s kinda’ crippy to think and actually fall in love with Him. You know he is good to think about at church or bible study. After all it makes us feel good about ourselves. But Heaven forbid, we would actually think about Him all the time. Isn’t that what people in love do anyways?! If we did that, when would we actually have a chance to be selfish? Lets see, let me find a better excuse. When would we have time to care and love other people? I mean really! How weird is that?!
If we had any version of that monologue in silence, we are not in love with Jesus. K, brace yourselves, get some tea and read on. If we were to imagine Jesus crying out every verse of the bible, how would we feel? If we were to imagine Him crying out to us: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink. Come to me all you who are burned and weary and I will give you rest. In your inmost self and I knitted you together in your mother’s womb. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I will never leave nor forsake you. ” That is the heart of Christ! And knowing his heart is being in love with Him!
God gave Jesus a “heart of flesh” so you and I can have His heart. So you and I can have His love. Knowing the heart of God is to know that he is love and only love. I know it’s a paradox because we can’t know Him unless we love. And how can we love if we don’t know Him. His love is the conduit to our love. His love is patient, kind, it does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not easily angered. It is not self-seeking. It always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres it always protects. We will never know our own hearts if we first don’t know the heart of God. By definition alone, when we become a new creation in Him, our old self is gone and we take on a new one in Christ Jesus. So, if we continue to live in the old self why in the world are we calling ourselves “saved”?! What are we being saved from? What has really and truly changed?!
We can’t love people if we can’t love ourselves. And we can’t love ourselves if we don’t love God. The only way to do that is to fall in love with the one that is in you. The one whose image we are to resemble more and more by each passing second. The one who died so we could live. His love knows no conditions and is limitless. Don’t settle for a second love, without knowing your first love!
God is love! All you have to do to "be in love" is to BE IN GOD! Know that you are loved ALWAYS!
If we had any version of that monologue in silence, we are not in love with Jesus. K, brace yourselves, get some tea and read on. If we were to imagine Jesus crying out every verse of the bible, how would we feel? If we were to imagine Him crying out to us: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink. Come to me all you who are burned and weary and I will give you rest. In your inmost self and I knitted you together in your mother’s womb. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I will never leave nor forsake you. ” That is the heart of Christ! And knowing his heart is being in love with Him!
God gave Jesus a “heart of flesh” so you and I can have His heart. So you and I can have His love. Knowing the heart of God is to know that he is love and only love. I know it’s a paradox because we can’t know Him unless we love. And how can we love if we don’t know Him. His love is the conduit to our love. His love is patient, kind, it does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not easily angered. It is not self-seeking. It always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres it always protects. We will never know our own hearts if we first don’t know the heart of God. By definition alone, when we become a new creation in Him, our old self is gone and we take on a new one in Christ Jesus. So, if we continue to live in the old self why in the world are we calling ourselves “saved”?! What are we being saved from? What has really and truly changed?!
We can’t love people if we can’t love ourselves. And we can’t love ourselves if we don’t love God. The only way to do that is to fall in love with the one that is in you. The one whose image we are to resemble more and more by each passing second. The one who died so we could live. His love knows no conditions and is limitless. Don’t settle for a second love, without knowing your first love!
God is love! All you have to do to "be in love" is to BE IN GOD! Know that you are loved ALWAYS!
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