Perfect Clay....
It was Sunday night and I was lying in bed praying. I can't even remember what I was praying about but it wasn't about me and I am pretty sure I was thanking Him for such a great weekend.
"You see me"....
I randomly said it out loud into the darkness of my bedroom.
Fact.
Not a "Do you see me, Lord" or even a moment where the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart saying "I see you".
No.
I just said it once out loud..."You see me". As if my heart and head had met together, behind my back, and decided that they were both in agreement.... that I needed to understand clearly.... that He does, in fact, see me. It came out with such conviction and so matter of fact.
I would need that conviction later this week as I faced the big bad Dentist office! Ha! Well, if you don't already know..... I SURVIVED and DID NOT SHED A SINGLE TEAR!!! I felt like I had one the battle ha! I must share that my fear is not the Dentist himself or the act of drilling/surgery. No. It's the way they sometimes make you feel when they pull up your ex-rays and the picture of your mouth is covered with different colors (like the color wheel) because there is so much inside to do or redo. Like at any moment the entire office is going to bust out into a parade because they know they have total job security because of me! ha! just kidding. But I went in with new strength this time. I am blessed to have dental insurance but as a "single -home owning- likes to be debt free with few bill -woman" I tend to stress out about what the bill will look like. But it is going to be fine.
I am to get the wisdom teeth out. No big deal. They set me down and showed what it would cost and what is covered and it was almost to the exact dollar amount of what I could afford.
And you can NOT tell me that God was not in that. He was. And because I admitted to Him all my insecurities and layed all my worries at His feet, before I even entered that office, I was able to leave there not feeling like a loser OR out of control because it was all too much.
AND I PRAISE HIM!!!!! Small victory, large victory-----They are from HIM!
I found this picture today while I was editing my lake album....
It is from a day that we explored a part of the lake I had never seen. The water was so still from little boat traffic that the clouds are beautifully reflected in the water. I took this myself. ha. I was on top of the boat and want to be in a picture with such breathtaking nature. You can see that my hair is totally dirty, not brushed and I don't have on any makeup.
I saw this and I just stopped. Yesterday I wrote about God choosing everything He wanted to create me. EVERYTHING...even my weak teeth.
I see this picture and I can't help but say..."You see me, Lord. You created everything in that picture and you call it BEAUTIFUL! Even my greasy hair and crazy teeth. The clear water and the bluest sky....You see it all and You love it deeply. You made us....me.... just the way you wanted".
In Romans 9 Paul is talking about God's ultimate sovereign choice to do what He sees best for His ultimate glory.....this portion of scripture says it all for me. I am personally not a fan of The Message (just my personal choice) but I think it's translation said it pretty clearly......
"Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, "Why did you shape me like this?" Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn't that all right?"
God does what He wants to do. Point blank. We were not created on the one day He called in sick and let some moron pick out our teeth, crazy skin, hip size, smelly feet, this cancer, this disability. NO! Like the beautiful artist He is, He took our souls in His hands and began to carefully shape, smooth and sometimes add texture to the clay that would become who we are. No mistakes, no flaws that accidentally happened while He got distracted and looked away........no.
Who do we think we are.... that we can turn and talk to God like He's an idiot and doesn't have a clue? I have no right to look up to the sky and ask "Why". I need to start asking "What is this for? How Lord, do you want to use this part of me to bring you glory....even with the smallest of things."
"You see me"....
I randomly said it out loud into the darkness of my bedroom.
Fact.
Not a "Do you see me, Lord" or even a moment where the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart saying "I see you".
No.
I just said it once out loud..."You see me". As if my heart and head had met together, behind my back, and decided that they were both in agreement.... that I needed to understand clearly.... that He does, in fact, see me. It came out with such conviction and so matter of fact.
I would need that conviction later this week as I faced the big bad Dentist office! Ha! Well, if you don't already know..... I SURVIVED and DID NOT SHED A SINGLE TEAR!!! I felt like I had one the battle ha! I must share that my fear is not the Dentist himself or the act of drilling/surgery. No. It's the way they sometimes make you feel when they pull up your ex-rays and the picture of your mouth is covered with different colors (like the color wheel) because there is so much inside to do or redo. Like at any moment the entire office is going to bust out into a parade because they know they have total job security because of me! ha! just kidding. But I went in with new strength this time. I am blessed to have dental insurance but as a "single -home owning- likes to be debt free with few bill -woman" I tend to stress out about what the bill will look like. But it is going to be fine.
I am to get the wisdom teeth out. No big deal. They set me down and showed what it would cost and what is covered and it was almost to the exact dollar amount of what I could afford.
And you can NOT tell me that God was not in that. He was. And because I admitted to Him all my insecurities and layed all my worries at His feet, before I even entered that office, I was able to leave there not feeling like a loser OR out of control because it was all too much.
AND I PRAISE HIM!!!!! Small victory, large victory-----They are from HIM!
I found this picture today while I was editing my lake album....
It is from a day that we explored a part of the lake I had never seen. The water was so still from little boat traffic that the clouds are beautifully reflected in the water. I took this myself. ha. I was on top of the boat and want to be in a picture with such breathtaking nature. You can see that my hair is totally dirty, not brushed and I don't have on any makeup.
I saw this and I just stopped. Yesterday I wrote about God choosing everything He wanted to create me. EVERYTHING...even my weak teeth.
I see this picture and I can't help but say..."You see me, Lord. You created everything in that picture and you call it BEAUTIFUL! Even my greasy hair and crazy teeth. The clear water and the bluest sky....You see it all and You love it deeply. You made us....me.... just the way you wanted".
In Romans 9 Paul is talking about God's ultimate sovereign choice to do what He sees best for His ultimate glory.....this portion of scripture says it all for me. I am personally not a fan of The Message (just my personal choice) but I think it's translation said it pretty clearly......
"Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, "Why did you shape me like this?" Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn't that all right?"
God does what He wants to do. Point blank. We were not created on the one day He called in sick and let some moron pick out our teeth, crazy skin, hip size, smelly feet, this cancer, this disability. NO! Like the beautiful artist He is, He took our souls in His hands and began to carefully shape, smooth and sometimes add texture to the clay that would become who we are. No mistakes, no flaws that accidentally happened while He got distracted and looked away........no.
Who do we think we are.... that we can turn and talk to God like He's an idiot and doesn't have a clue? I have no right to look up to the sky and ask "Why". I need to start asking "What is this for? How Lord, do you want to use this part of me to bring you glory....even with the smallest of things."
"You, LORD, are our Father.
We are nothing but clay,
but you are the potter
who molded us."
Isaiah 64.8 CEV
This picture is silly below, but I just needed a visual reminder that everything belongs to our Father. He makes it and says it is good over and over and over again. We see nature and say "oh is this not the most beautiful thing" and He looks at us and says "oh is she/he not the most beautiful thing". Shoot.....He might even substitute beautiful for a super amazing "heavenly word" that we don't even know yet that would totally rock our world! I don't know, but I do know that He loves us enough to sit with us in the dark and help us figure it all out. He loves us enough to keep reminding us that HE did not make a single mistake when He made us no matter what our world tries to tell us. Only He is in control of it all. Only God.
Father, you made me an artist. When I get finished with a painting I could care less what others think it needs or doesn't need because You give me a vision and then let me transfer it to the canvas. The joy of creating one of your visions is indescribable. It's personal and each paint stroke it done with care and also great confidence. It is not something that can always be done overnight and sometimes takes great time and patience for the complete work to be done....but if it required late nights then I would so do it. The visions you give me are that important. You are the Great Creator...you take great pride and joy in what you have made. You don't need to hear me complain about all the ways I think you did me wrong or didn't "bless me" with this and that! NO! Forgive me for insulting you. For thinking that I know better. That if I had been in control I would have made me better. That is false Lord. You took your time with me and as you grow me,spiritually, you bend and mold me into your likeness. You use our differences not only as ways to keep us humble but to make us relateable to others as we spread Your Word. We were not made "worldly perfect"...whatever that even means...but you did not mess up on a single one of us; FOR YOU ARE PERFECT! Thank you for seeing me, for listening to me and for reminding me that you are enthralled with my beauty. Thank you for making me as I am. I love you Lord.