The Cost of Beauty

Have you thought about beauty and maybe how beauty really looks??
Is is merely taking what is already beautiful and creating beauty with that?
Or is it maybe seeing beyond...?
Beyond the present situation to what something could be?

Beauty.
Flowers. Diamonds. Candles. Love. Joy. Radiant faces.

That's fun.  That's easy.

But what about the hard times?  The person who is hard to love?  The person who struggles to rest?
Is there beauty in that?  What about seeing beyond and fighting for the deeper things of life?
What about rejection, loneliness; is there any beauty in that?

Maybe not.  Hard times are not fun or beautiful; it's the outcome.  It's what can be produced in our hearts or another's heart that becomes beautiful.

What about getting involved in someone's life?  Jesus did.  He became involved in our world.  Our lives...

Sometimes beauty costs.
And...
Sometimes the cost is high.  very high.

The cost to live selflessly, giving up dreams, wishes, and desires, at times.
The cost to follow the commands of Jesus, loving when it's not easy.  Forgiving.
The cost for beauty and refinement, having those rough edges, planed.
The cost to become involved, to fight for another's heart and soul.

Jesus gave His all.  His life.
It cost Him misunderstandings.  betrayal.  helping others when He wanted to be alone with His Father.
It cost Him His life.

This time of the year, we stop and celebrate the fact that Jesus came as a baby.  We put up a manger scene.  We rejoice that the Messiah came to set us free. We are comforted that Immanuel, God with us, came.

He got involved in our world.
And it cost.
His life.  The ultimate sacrifice, once and for all.

I am grateful Jesus came.

It cost Him all.
Now it costs me...

We don't do the physical, daily sacrifices of offering an animal; but we have many opportunities to daily sacrifice - AND IT COSTS.

AND IT HURTS.

You give yourself to helping another and you may hear words of criticism instead of encouragement.
You pour yourself out for the sake of loving another, and someone says in some way... "It's not enough..."
You're in a role of leadership and the many opinions and criticism seem to be a dagger...
You expose a struggle or dare to be vulnerable and another doesn't seem to get you...
You want a moment of quiet with your Heavenly Father and someone comes 'banging' on your door.

It hurts.  We get scratched.

I have a quote that reminds me what it means to be involved in other's lives...
Sara Hagerty penned these words "Little did I know that most of the treasures within a person lay hidden below the surface waiting for a voice to  call it out.  Beauty in another requires participation."

I recently took a walk down a road and up a bank to cut some greens for a friend to add touches in her house this winter season.  There were weeds, briars, and some slippery muddy spots.

I got scratched.  It was awkward at times to not slip.  I cut red berries and there were thorns that pricked...

I was helping to create beauty for another, and it didn't always feel good.  But it was so worth it.

Not all of life is that basic.  But the picture I got a glimpse of is... SOMETIMES TO CREATE BEAUTY OR TO CALL OUT BEAUTY IN ANOTHER HURTS.

Sometimes to have beauty refined in our souls, hurts.

The misunderstandings.  the betrayal.  the criticism has the potential to create a beauty in our souls that is beyond our understanding.  A beauty that others will benefit from.

The hard also has the potential to harden.  To harden our hearts and put up walls.

It is a beauty that we cannot create or handle on our own, we must take our pain to the Father.  We must hold out our hands... the one with the pain, the other with being reminded of who we are in Him, His Greater Truth.

He, too, has scars.  Nail-pierced hands and feet that mark His costs.

My scratches will fade, but some are indelibly marked in our hearts.
Jesus knows.

He has permanent marks, too.

He endured pain to set us free.
Now our pain can set us free.

Free from self and selfishness.
Free from bondage and lies.
Free to live.
Free to be in Jesus!

Jesus has said and promised, that He will create beauty out of ashes.  He can take what is hard and ugly and create beauty.

We are NOT ALONE in this quest for beauty.
Jesus has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
He has promised His grace IS SUFFICIENT.

He gives more grace when the trials are greater.  As deep as our hard is, so is the depth of His grace; if we choose to see Him and lean on His understanding and trust His heart when our way is blinded with pain and sorrow.

Hard is meant for us to find God.  To search for what is truly life-giving and eternal.  To remind us, we need God.  REDEMPTION...

That is another form of beauty.

Beauty of soul. Beauty that lasts.
Beauty that hurts.

But beauty that is LIFE-GIVING.

Keep your hand in His.  He has promised that He will finish the work that He started in you.

Cost it does... but it is and will be WORTH IT!
HEAVEN.  Glorious Heaven.  Eternal beauty and bliss.  Jesus!

Peace, As the World Gives or As Jesus Gives?

Peace.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (nor let it be fearful) John 14:27

Peace of God which passeth all understanding...  Philippians 4:7

Peace.
What is peace, anyway?

Is it when all the house is put in order, clean and toys put away?
Is it when the children are playing nicely and getting along with each other?
Is it when relationships are connecting and we get each other?
Is it when someone sees a need and meets it, we feel peace?
Is it when we are getting our things done in a timely manner?

But what if that is not what is reality?
What if all feels chaotic and stormy?
The children call for me, ONE MORE TIME.
The boys fight.  One tattles on another.
The phone rings, there's another meal to make...
I get mad...
Peace??

What does Jesus mean when He says "Peace, I leave with you, not as the world giveth?" or a Peace of Mine which passes understanding?

That doesn't give me the picture that all is going smoothly and in order.

So, my question is, what does peace really mean in the eyes of Jesus.

Jesus often said as He was with the disciples, "Peace, be still."  The storm was raging, the air boistrous, people were afraid and when Jesus was present, He commanded peace.

I remember one morning as I was filling in for a teacher at school, we were singing and the teacher leading the songs led a song taken from John 14 - Peace I leave with you... not as the world giveth, give I you..; and I, being right smack dab in the middle of a painful and disappointing relationship struggle was struck with that phrase - not as the world giveth, give I you...

PEACE.

Mr. Webster defines peace as -1) freedom from disagreement or quarrels, harmony, serenity, law and order 2) freedom from wars, a treat or an agreement to end a war, make one's peace, reconciliation, end hostilities, settle arguments 3) peace of mind - calm, quiet 4) hold one's peace, silence.

Looking at this definition -points 1&3; would seem like yes, it's when the house is all in order and relationships are connecting that we have peace. (I will look at #2 in another post)
The world's peace is where all is in order and I have it all under control. It's a peace where life feels good.

But Jesus tells us He is giving a peace that is different.
In John 16:33 He tells us "In the world there is conflict; but IN ME there is peace."

In Jesus!  Did you get that?!  In Jesus there is peace. HE IS PEACE.

When we know WHOSE we are (right in the middle of the storm or battle) we can have peace, because we HAVE JESUS!

Isaiah 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose MIND is STAYED ON THEE, because he TRUSTED IN THEE."

Matthew 14:22-32
When Peter said, "Lord, if it's You, let me walk on the water"...  As long as he was focused on Jesus, right in the middle of the storm, HE WALKED.   The minute he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the storm, he began to sink.
When we focus on Jesus, the storm takes a back seat, and we are confident in Him.

That's Jesus' peace.  Jesus is giving us Himself.  He is Peace.

We take our pain, our storm, our disappointments and failures to Jesus; laying them at His feet and fixing our eyes on Him.  He brings perspective and calm to our hearts as we trust Him and choose to believe His heart is good intended towards us.  He gives us, HIMSELF.

He, Who is strong enough.
He, Who is big enough.
He, Who loves us much.
He.  Himself.  His grace.  His strength.  Himself.

That is a peace which passes ALL understanding.
- Peter walking on stormy waters.
- Rest in the spirit, while a relationship continues to hurt.
- Forgiveness to the one who has hurt us.
- Calmness and perspective in the middle of busyness.

Because we know who we are in Him.
  Do you know who you are in Jesus?

Jesus defines us with His Love.
In Him we are loved, accepted and belong!  And when that grips our hearts, we can 'walk' on the stormy waters of rejection, chaos, brokenness.  THEY DO NOT NEED TO DEFINE US!
GOD DOES!!!
Having said that, I am not saying it doesn't hurt or that we glibly go along in life; I'm saying that pain should not define us, it should be a stepping stone to Jesus. A gateway to sitting at His feet and learning more of Him.

Sometimes we feel more like the disciples in Mark 4:38-39 ...
As the disciples were rowing, Jesus was sleeping and a storm came up.  The waves were high and filling the boat with water.  The disciples panicked and Jesus continued to sleep.  Finally, they could take it no longer and woke Jesus up shouting,  Master, Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?

Jesus awoke, stood up and rebuked the wind, "Peace, be still."  The wind stopped and there was a great calm.

Then Jesus turns to the disciples  and asks them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

With Jesus in the boat, He would've taken care of the disciples, it just wasn't looking like they wanted it to.

I believe Jesus wanted them to trust Him, to ride the storm with peace in their heart, because Peace was with them.  They forgot that.  Or maybe they didn't understand Jesus yet...  because it says the disciples were terrified, "Who is this Man?  even the wind and waves obey Him"

We have this story to remind us to ride with Jesus, trusting that He will save us in His way.  Trusting that He does notice our storm, even though it may feel like He is sleeping (Psalm 121:3-4 says He never slumbers nor sleep)

The Peace of Jesus often doesn't look like we want it to ...
but may our storm cause us to ask Him to show us His Greater Truth and shed His Light of Truth on our pain or battle.

The peace of Jesus is not a calm life; but a life who Jesus calms in the midst of storm and battle. - Judith Lapp

El-Roi, the God Who Sees

Something I often think about on a typical school morning as a number of us ladies are transporting our dear young ones to school... why do we wave?  Why take the moment to lift your hand and shake it back and forth a little? :)
What does a hand shake or a wave or a smile say, anyway?

One thing I believe it says is, "I see you."

We all like to be noticed for something.  We want to know we matter enough to be seen.
We all like when someone sees we are hurting and ventures to reach out to us.  It tells us they care and we gain a sense of significance.
When someone affirms us, we gain a sense of 'I matter' to the world around me.
A simple smile is heartwarming.

But, one thing we all know well is moments of being alone, unnoticed by physical presence around us.
Someone walks on by and doesn't 'see' us, there is a let down, don't I matter, don't they care???

We want to be 'seen'. Longing to be seen beyond the surface.  Valued beyond what we do or did or didn't do.  We want to know we matter beyond the good or mess-ups we've done.

When life throws and hurls us into hard moments, sometimes we are missed.  Sometimes we are alone for a moment to wrestle ...

Hagar learned that one day when she was in despair, kicked out and left to wander.  She sat down by a spring of water in the wilderness, and GOD FINDS HER.  He asked her a question.  He cared.  She ends up naming the well, Beerlahai-roi meaning, the well of the Living One who SEES ME.  El-Roi, the name for God that means, the God who Sees.

Those hard moments are moments God wants to find us.  They are reminders that God must be our Source of water (Life), finding Him at the well, just like Hagar experienced.  People are NOT meant to fill all our voids, bandage all our aches and hurts.  That is GOD'S job and He wants to do it.

When I reflect on Jesus' life, He sought out and noticed many people.  Beggars, blind men, children, women, lepers, Zacchaeus in the tree and more.

He sees, but there are times He waits.  Like when Lazarus was sick and died.  Or when God turned His face away as Jesus died.  There are times when He is silent.  But He never leaves.

Hard times. death.  and the ones left behind are left to wonder and question for  a bit.  But God came.  He did show up.  Just not right away.

Why??
Those moments hurt when someone walks by and does little or no acknowledging.  we wonder.  we feel insignificant.
When God is quiet or silent, we struggle.  We feel alone and maybe even abandoned.

We feel 'unseen'.

Those moments are part of a bigger picture.  A plan for God to be seen and glorified.  Like in Lazarus' death, many believed.

God wants to be seen and sometimes the only way for that to happen, is through hard times.  They grip our attention and remind us of our need for our Heavenly Father.  We are so prone to forget...

I have told my Heavenly Father that I think I could go through anything as long as I feel He is near.  As long as I feel His Presence surrounding me.  There's been a situation where over the past few years God has seemed silent.  I didn't feel forsaken, it was simply quiet.  No inspiration, no direction, just silent and quiet.  It makes the struggle, hard.

I've grappled with 'why'?  I've heard a number of times that God doesn't move, so if you don't feel Him then guess what?... you moved.  Well, I didn't feel like I did.

One morning as I again came before my Heavenly Father I asked Him my 'why' again.  I felt His whispering thought and He gave me a picture ---

(As a parent don't you sometimes stand by and watch your child struggle through something?  whether it would be learning to walk, or putting legos together?  whether it would be trying to figure out how something works?  You're there.  just not stepping in.  If you would always step in, would your child learn or feel like he has mastered something?
So it is with Me.  Learning comes through wrestling and struggling through something.  I am right here.  I SEE YOU.  It's just that learning more of Me comes through wrestlings, trying to figure something out.  and guess what  NEITHER OF US MOVED.  I was only standing nearby, watching you learn more of Me and you are right here trying to figure out something again.)

Wow.  Yes, Lord.  that makes sense.  You ARE right HERE.  Watching, and maybe even delighting in the fact that we are wrestling, clinging and wanting to find You again, in this time and this moment.
It brings a smile to my face when my child wrestles  and conquers or masters something... I wonder if it does to Yours??

El-Roi, the God who Sees.  He notices, even when silent.
His promise is true... "I will never leave you or forsake you."
He just may be silently standing there BESIDE YOU, waiting for the moment when you and I rise victorious over the hard moments.  Waiting as we wrestle to experience our 'aha' moment.  I can just imagine how that may just warm the heart of God to know we did not give up, but wrestled to find His Truth. today.  in this moment.  And when we didn't get it, yet, we cling to His hand, trusting His heart.

In those moments when life seems silent and you find yourself feeling alone, it is your call from God to bring your hurt, your sorrow, your grief to Him.  Sometimes He wants to be ALL FOR US.

That does not mean we shirk our responsibility to care for each other, it only means that we are prone to forget God and that He is All-Sufficient and we need reminders.  And I believe He reminds us through those times we feel forsaken and are sitting in the wilderness and even, maybe, by a well where there is nourishment, but it's not enough.  God comes at some point and speaks Truth and Life to our souls.

The people who cross your path today need to be seen.

And remember, most of all, He sees us.  El-Roi.

But He also wants to be seen...  In the moments when we're cared for by another and in the moments we find ourselves 'alone'.

El-Roi.