Rooted

A little girl walking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its beauty and enjoyed its fragrance. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed. As she gazed on it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. “This flower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!” she cried. So she pulled it up by its roots and ran to the water faucet to wash away the soil. It wasn’t long until the flower wilted and died.

When the gardener saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, “You have destroyed my finest plant!”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it in that dirt,” she said. The gardener replied, “I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower.”

That flower battled insects, wind, and the occasional flood.  It resisted the worst that the world could throw at it... it persevered... and grew to be beautiful. Then it was picked.  It became separated from it’s source of strength and provision.  It stopped growing and eventually withered away.  Under God’s plan, that flower would have thrived and grown to live a very long life.

Separated from His plan... it shriveled.  

God could have had that flower come to the earth in a bouquet... never touching the soil... never having to overcome any obstacles.  

But He didn’t.

He knew that the flower would grow stronger and even more beautiful by braving it out in the ground.  It’s roots would grow deep... it’s very sustenance dependent on God’s rains and beautiful sunlight.   The flower needed to overcome the challenges to be what it was created to be.  

We are no different.

Whatever you face today... difficulties, distractions, disunity, or dishonor... decide now that you are going to face it with the right attitude.  Remember, our happiness is based 10% on our circumstances and 90% on how we deal with them.  

Ask yourself:  Am I content with what God’s allowed me to have?

Am I happy that I have a fresh day?  Or am I disappointed all the time that it’s not where the grass seems greener?

Am I looking at the world through God glasses?  Seeing each person, circumstance, and transition as opportunities and not obstacles?

Am I allowing the enemy to convince me that my happiness is based on my feelings and not the eternal love of my Savior?

Fact is, our attitude through adversity determines our ability to achieve happiness.  

Can we be happy when life tries to uproot us?  Yes. 

Why... because what we are going through is a season.  A brief time in a prayerfully long life filled with great successes and challenging knockdowns.  Each one of us experiencing peaks, valleys... and many periods of in-between.  The pain we feel has a purpose... the disappointment we find is for a reason... Why?  Because God wants to punish us?  

Far from it.   Sometimes it takes a flood to help us appreciate the sun (Son) more.  

You are beautiful... just like that flower... rooted in God with a purpose for your life.  Allow Him to help you stand strong against the darkness and rain of hardship, distress, and trial.  And when the sun comes back out... and the warmth of it’s glow hits you... you will shine against the azure sky like the masterpiece that you are.   

Take a few moments out today and thank God for what’s going on in your life... if it’s storming... thank Him for the roots He’s got under you holding you firmly.  Be content in the purpose of your circumstance and watch God reveal a better life than you could ever imagine.  

Ours

There’s a story told of a northern girl during the Civil War.  It’s said as she watched southern general Robert E. Lee ride past her house on his way to Gettysburg she said, “Oh, I wish he were ours.”   Lee’s reputation was so compelling... his behavior so genuine that even the opposing side wanted his influence...

This got me to thinking... how many people watch us during the course of our day?  I would guess there are far more than we might suspect.  I wonder how many of them look at us and want to be more like us because we are in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  How compelling are we living out our faith?  How genuine is our joy?  2 Corinthians 5 calls us “Christ’s ambassadors”... a big responsibility... but a huge opportunity to show others how wonderful Jesus is!   Let’s commit to living our lives in such a way that even those that don’t know us look at us and want the joy, peace, patience, and strength that only Christ can provide.  

Dart or Start

A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a seminary class given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture. Sally’s girlfriend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend at the person’s picture.  Sally’s girlfriend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. She was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved. The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of the time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced. Dr. Smith quoted this scripture…

 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”  Matthew 25:40

No other words were necessary; the tear-filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ.

Revenge.  Anger.  Bitterness.  Unforgiveness.  Hatred.  

We all think these emotions can be controlled...directed toward someone who has done us wrong.  Today’s scripture reminds us that as we treat others... we are treating the One who started our heart beating. 

When we serve the needy... we are serving Christ.

When we are hurting someone with our words, actions, or thoughts... we are hurting the heart of Christ. 

He wants what’s best for us... and His Word tells us time and time again to love Him first and then love everyone else.  Today we will have a chain of decisions to make.  Each one, an opportunity to do the right thing (even when it’s hard).  Which will we choose?  Both reflect what we’re feeling on the inside.  

I pray that each of us would choose to not give others who have hurt us what we think they deserve... but, instead, extend to them the same grace we ourselves receive from Christ each day.  

Choose to forgive.

Choose to leave the past where it belongs.

Choose to make the first move toward reconciliation.

Choose to serve.

Choose to love like Christ.

It’s easier to get even... it’s maturity when we can control those emotions and give our challenges to God.  

Remember, as we treat others, we are treating Jesus.  

Will we throw a dart?

Or will we offer a fresh start?