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Our daily deaths…

The beauty of being human is that each of us has inherent privileges. In the beginning, God lavished Adam and Eve with ones which gave them emotional life. Love and friendship. To make their own choices and speak their mind. The privilege to learn from mistakes and grow wiser. To work creatively and have faith… Each one is essential in God’s eye.

Now, if any one of these was forcibly removed from our lives, the way God created us to function would die in that area. And this is a death. It will affect every other area in life.

If my freedom to speak is torn from me, it affects my friendships, choices, and my opportunities to grow. It affects my decisions…

How can we/I regain these stolen privileges?

(photo by Felipe Vallin: https://www.pexels.com)

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The simplicity of boundaries

It is a fact that I struggle with boundaries, especially when I am uncertain of what someone thinks of me, especially if their opinion matters to me. If they ask me to do something, and I am already stretched, I will still try to please them. I will give in.

This morning I read a verse which redefined this boundary for me. It also showed me my heart. “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). My instant reaction – “Ouch!” and “Oh!”

“Ouch!” – When I try to please others to the detriment of myself, I despise the One who created me, who gave me my physical and emotional limits.

“Oh!” – It is that simple. I don’t have to justify myself. A “Yes” or “No” is enough.

photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com

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Hand-made by God

The question is – who knows me? I have met those who told me I was not enough. They vowed that they could remake me… Sadly, I trusted them.

But there was always another voice calling out, one that took me years to hear. For, “This is what the Lord says – he who created you…, he who formed you…: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'” (Isaiah 43:1) How I cried when I finally grasped that I had been following the wrong creators. But God picked me up and hugged me. He said, “Do not fear.”

And as I have gone on with him, I am relearning who I am. For God made me, not factory-style, but hand-made. He knows me.

Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash

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Imagine that!

For decades I shut my imagination down. Life was too busy, too intense, too serious. I forgot what it was like to walk down a disused railway track and dream of travel, of doing unbelievable things. Riding a comet. Flying over mountains like the wind. Seeing God.

I forgot that in the beginning God imagined the earth, sea, and stars. He spoke and they came into being. I forgot he imagined you and me, and made us with his hands.

God also made us with imaginations, and he wants us to develop them. The Bible says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20) Let’s use our hands to create unimagined things. Let’s speak out unimagined words. Let’s imagine them all with God. 

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To wear it, or not

Derek bought me a hat, a green one with a bow in the back. We both like it, but others have not been so positive. “You look eccentric!” “You really look funny!” And the best one.. “Your hat looks like a lily pad!”

I appreciate the honesty. But… there is a wonderful verse in the Bible. It says that God “has made everything beautiful in its time.”* We don’t need to worry about opinions. God created beauty to stand out as different, for that is what beauty is. Each of us is beautiful, regardless of our peculiarities.

I still wear my hat, and when people meet me, they nod and smile. They even stop for a chat. My lily-pad hat might be eccentric, but so is God’s love.

* (Ecclesiastes  3:11)

 

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Celebrating our Quirks Day!

A salesman telephoned a few days ago. “Are you Mrs. Leaf?” he asked.

My guard went up. “No!” But then it hit me. What was I saying? I am Mrs. Leaf. I have been for 30 years. “I mean, yes!” I said.

The salesman paused in that “Then, who are you?” kind of a silence.

“Mr.” I corrected. “I mean, Mr. Leaf. No! I’m not him. I’ll go get him.” The salesman started chuckling, but I sent up a prayer, right there on the spot. “God, why do I always say the wrong thing!”

An answer came back fast, just like a pingpong ball. “I made you this way. I created you for my glory.* Embrace it.”

Do you have quirks? Let’s celebrate!

*Isaiah 43:7

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Who Owns Us?

Parents might think their children belong to them. They might think children are there to make them happy. But that only turns children into possessions.

One father in the Bible said something different. “These are the children God has graciously givenDSC_0004 (2)…” (Genesis 33:5) He realized that every child is not a thing to be possessed. Children are a gift from God, to be treated with respect.

God added his perspective for parents. He said, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13) God is our children’s principle teacher. Let’s listen to what God is teaching and affirm that to our children.