Embracing Him

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Over the past several months, God has prompted me to reexamine many areas of my life. This examination has shown that though I’ve made progress in some areas, there are other areas that still need improvement.

I’m going to be honest here. I need a serious makeover. I’m not talking about the kind of makeover that involves expensive brand name cosmetics or an arsenal of brushes, powders, and cremes. I’m referring to a makeover that creates real beauty on the inside that radiates outward.

A makeover of this magnitude can only be orchestrated by God! Since He is the one who created me, He best understands how to color me beautiful! As God makes me over, I suspect that I’ll need another cosmetics bag filled with a new line products essential for a new type of beauty!

Instead of reaching for smoothing powder to cover up my blemishes and create a flawless face, I’ll get down on my knees much more frequently and ask God to smooth out my rough spots with His cleansing forgiveness. In lieu of colorful eyeshadows and lash lengthening mascaras, I’ll brighten my eyes by reading God’s word more closely. Rather than tint my lips with my favorite shade of lipstick, I’ll strive to “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable” in God’s sight (Psalm 19:14).

Trying to meet the world’s standard of beauty is an effort in futility. Beauty trends ebb and flow so very few of us ever reach the height of the beauty bar set by the world. However, there is no need for us to think less of ourselves or fret over our looks because God’s standard of beauty never changes!

Are you ready to show off your true beauty? Spend more time talking to and listening to God. He’ll direct you and help you reveal your true beauty! If you’re looking for a good place to start, consider The 30 Day True Woman Makeover at Revive Our Hearts.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for the loving us just as we are! Though we have spots, stains, and blemishes, we praise You for yet seeing our potential. Forgive us Lord for harboring thoughts, uttering words, and engaging in actions that diminish our beauty. We pray that You would cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness and perform a true makeover. As you cleanse us, continue to remind us that Your mirror is the only one that matters and that Your standard of beauty is the only one that matters! Amen.

Food For Thought:

1. Why do so many people spend so much time making themselves physically beautiful?
2. Is God more concerned with our inner or outer beauty? Why?
3. What areas of your life need to be made over? How will you address these areas?

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Like Linus, our sweet little Sugar Plum has a very special blanket. Hers is white with an array of pastel colored hearts and in order to sleep soundly, Sugar Plum must have her beloved blanket beside her in bed. No other blanket will suffice.

One recent morning, I changed and washed the girls’ bedding. That evening as I prepared to put Sugar Plum to bed, I realized I had not transferred the morning laundry over to the dryer. This meant Sugar Plum’s precious blanket was still wet and would not be ready for bed.

Though I knew my offer would not be accepted, I volunteered a similarly colored and similarly sized blanket. Sugar Plum would not accept it and started to cry. After she calmed down, I explained that her blanket was drying and that she could have it the next day. That explanation was not sufficient for her and Sugar Plum said she wanted the blanket that night and would wait for it to dry.

Sugar Plum’s day was a long one and I knew she was tired. But rather than retire peacefully with a different blanket, Sugar Plum fought sleep and insisted upon waiting for me to bring her security blanket. Each time I slipped into her room to check on her, I found her wide awake and whining impatiently. Unfortunately Sugar Plum was giving up much needed rest because she thought she needed to hold onto that blanket!

Isn’t that how we can be? So eager to hold onto the things we think will bring us security! Perhaps we have missed a blessing or two simply because we refused to let go of something we thought would bring us security, comfort, or stability.

When we cling to things other than God, we show that we do not trust Him to provide for our needs. Likewise this lack of trust in God can prevent us from experiencing the many things God has in store for us. How can we live the full lives God has intended us to live, if we don’t lean on Him? Simply put, we can’t.

Sooner or later we learn that our spouses, best friends, children, jobs, and material possessions cannot give us the security we seek. Unfortunately placing full dependence on anything else but God leaves us disappointed and unfulfilled. In addition, it doesn’t leave us free to embrace God, the only one who can meet ALL of our needs.

As the year comes to a close, I encourage you to join me in taking a careful look at what you’re grasping. Let’s make sure we’re seeking security in God. If our trust lies elsewhere, let’s redirect our focus and embrace Him!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for the friends, families, and materials goods you have given us. We thank you for the joy these things bring to our lives. Help us to remember that You are the one who has provided these and many other things for us. Help us not to put our trust in false securities. Forgive for the times we have depended on other people and things for our needs instead of relying on You. Remind us that only You can meet our needs completely and help us to lean on You completely. Help us to conquer our fear of letting go and letting God and give us the faith we need to rely on You. Amen.

Food For Thought:

1. What makes you feel secure?
2. Are you holding onto things that interfere with what God wants to do in your life?
3. Why is it sometimes hard to “let go and let God”?

Christmas preparation is well underway here at the Thorpe household. This past weekend, we completed our shopping for the girls, selected our Christmas tree, pulled out the Christmas trimmings, and started to decorate. We also made a major grocery shopping trip in order to replenish the grocery stockpile I like to maintain and to ensure I have all that I need to prepare Christmas dinner.

Because the weekend was so packed and because today’s schedule is just as full, I had very little time to write. Consequently, this week’s Monday Motivation is a repeat of a post I wrote in the early part of the year. Since most of my readers weren’t along for the ride back then, I reprinted it today and added a prayer and a question for you to consider. This is one of my favorite posts and I hope you’ll enjoy reading (or rereading) it as well!

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“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Revelation 16:15)

Earlier this week, I was standing in the grocery checkout line behind a pregnant woman who was chatting on her cell phone. She was telling a friend how excited she was about her upcoming birthing classes. As she talked, my mind wandered back to our first pregnancy and our birthing classes.

For 6 weeks, JT and I joined other expectant couples and learned what to expect in the final weeks and days leading up to delivery. As our class neared its end, our instructor encouraged all mothers to prepare a labor and delivery bag, full of the things we would need to make the hospital stay more comfortable. The instructor warned us not to wait until the last minute to pack the bag, since labor could commence at any time. As soon as I returned home from that final class, my packing began. Like a squirrel hoarding nuts, I hastily dashed around the house filling my bag with calming lotions, personal toiletries, warm socks, comfortable clothes, nursing pads, soothing lip balm, hard candy, and the many other things a pregnant woman needs. I wasted no time packing because I did not want to be caught unprepared when labor began. Everything was in the bag!

That day, as I scurried about filling my hospital bag, I thought about what people might be doing the day Jesus returns. The Savior will find that some already have their spiritual bags packed and thus are ready to go with Him. Sadly, He will also find those who are woefully unprepared with empty spiritual bags and therefore will be left behind. Revelation 16:15 informs us that Christ will return quickly and advises us to be ready for His return.

If your bag is not ready, it’s not too late to start packing. Fill your spiritual bag with admission, repentance, confession, and belief. Admit that you are a sinner, ask God to forgive you of your sins, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. Once your bag is packed, you can rest assured that you are prepared for your eternal stay with Jesus Christ. Remember, whether our bags are packed or not, Jesus will return. Is your bag ready?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for giving us Jesus Christ, the greatest gift we could ever have! Thank you for gift of salvation He has offered to each and every one of us! Please forgive us of our sins and help us not to commit those offenses again. Help us to accept this wonderful gift of salvation You have offered and help us to always cherish and recognize the value of our salvation. As we enter the Christmas season and prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, help us to slow down, remember what this holiday is really about, and celebrate in a way that sincerely honors You. Amen.

Food For Thought:

Have you confessed your sins and accepted Christ into your heart? If not, what is stopping you from doing so?

Photo: Courtesy of sushikat (Flickr)