Stains of Beauty

This morning I revealed stains. Stains of beauty. Ochre, cream, rust, russet, charcoal, wheat and earth. Okay, I know you might be thinking I have lost my mind if I find stains even remotely pleasing to the eye. Really, what is hidden beneath the Onyx is unique and stunning. Let me explain.
I soaked three gourds in bleach water. The process to clean a gourd is a bit toxic to your health if you are not careful not just because you are using bleach, but because you are clearing away mold. So you must wear a mask to cover your nose and mouth and glasses to shield your face. Not to mention that mold is disgusting, YUCK!
After a bit of soaking, a wire scrubber along with some elbow grease is needed to rid the gourd of the mold. If a gourd is to be used as a decoration, bird house, vase, bowl, or art, then at least for one's well-being it must be washed free from mold.
I like to think that this is what God is doing every time He chooses to not let me stay how I am, covered in mold: bad habits, unkindness, impatience, anger, selfishness, self-loathing, etc. You see, if He is going to use us for something, some specific purpose, then He needs to prepare us. The old self cannot remain. Or the mold like loads of laundry will pile up and crowd what is underneath.
He will purge it out of us so that the outside shines brightly. Much like removing dust from a light so it reveals more light.
Don't we want to reveal more light? How? By letting the Lord love us, change us into what comes out of the scrubbing. Which I don't particularly love because it hurts a bit.
What is even more amazing is that yes, some stains of where we came from and what we have gone through to get to this new form remain, but they are not moldy as before. God restores the elegance that already existed when we were created. What remains is the Lord's artwork.

Snapshots: Mom In the Midst

Snapshots: Mom In the Midst: As moms, we often find ourselves up to our necks in busyness.  We are surrounded by people who need us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  We f...

All I really have...

I can do many things. I can do some things well, but not GREAT. For example, I can cook, run, and throw a ball, but I am NO chef, Olympic runner, or Payton Manning. I know how to draw, but I have rarely sold anything I have created. I am on the thin side, but I will never be a model. WELL, YOU get my point.
BUT, I don't have to be any of those things to be worthy. All I have, all I need I find in the Lord.
I believe this, but it isn't always how I act. Sometimes I think I need all those titles, material things, etc. to matter, but I don't need them. I DO matter. I matter to Christ. I was made, created, I exist because I am supposed to...I have a place in this world. Even all that is sometimes hard to believe let alone act like it is true. However, the Lord says in His word,"Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It is I who created them." SWEET...I WAS MADE for HIS glory!! Oh, how thankful I am for that truth.
So...I can love too, but have I loved others, have I loved Christ deeply? Have I loved the best that I can with my human heart and hands? Oh, I hope so!
Isaiah 10:12-13 tells me what gives me worth; what my true purpose is first. "...He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, love Him, serve Him with all your heart and soul. You must always obey the Lord's commands and decrees..."
I am to love God with all of me first! Then, I bet I can love my self and others better.
All I really have, really need is God, my Lord, my Redeemer, My Savior!