Friday, December 17, 2010

Making the Ugly Beautiful

Today my heart is anxious and concerned. My mind is filled with to-do lists and shopping lists.  I am feeling a multitude of insecurities.  My spirit is restless and unsettled.  I am anything but peaceful. 

And yet God's word reminds me that a quiet spirit is precious, beautiful, and to be desired.

"Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."
1 Peter 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)

Oh how I long for a quiet spirit!

Lord, please quiet the cacophony of worries, fears and frustrations rising up in me today. I feel inadequate to the challenges.  Forgive me for my negative thoughts.  Help me cultivate the discipline of quietness.  I can't do it by myself. 

A contributor to Tabletalk magazine recently wrote, "Even the ugly parts of life have grace-laden possibilities because Christ is Lord over the whole world and is making all things new." 

Thank you Lord!!

Dr. Sean Michael Lucas, a minister in Mississippi, continues, "As agents of God's grace, we live out of the overflow of undeserved favor, extreme gratitude, and passionate communion with Jesus -- which moves us into life's ugliness to see God's beauty emerge." 

God you know the ugly situations I am in.  I pray that by your grace your beauty would emerge from these difficult and painful experiences.  That someday I would look back on these trials and praise you for them. That I might even, today, thank you for the ugliness.

Because I know that you love me, and it is not your desire to leave me here, like this, as I am now.  You will not rest until you've redeemed everything in your creation, and made all things beautiful.

Including me, and the people I love most.

2 comments:

  1. "beautiful." (i was just going to type only that word, and then i realized what the title of the post was. ha!)

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  2. So true Heather. Thanks for sharing. God is so good and always in the business of hope, restoration and making things beautiful. I have to remember that. Love you and miss you! Glad you are still writing :)

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