Beauty from Dust

Beauty from Dust
Oh, that dust would

Come to life

Is a miracle.

Dust to beauty,

Beauty to dust.

How precious,

How fragile.

A kaleidoscope of

Colors, sounds, and scents

Brings fascination to our

Vaporous lives but

They were created, too.

Chance does not

Chance can not

Create beauty

Create anything.

Only Love

Can

You hear the earth

Groan for her Maker,

The Maker of Heaven and Earth,

The Maker of dust

And of us?
March 29, 2012

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”  (Genesis 2:7)

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  (Genesis 3:19)

“For he knows our frame (or how we are formed); he remembers that we are dust.”  (Ps. 103:14)

“All go to one place.  All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”  (Eccl. 3:20)

Did you know?     

•     70% of the composition of dust in your home is made up of shed human skin and hair.

•     The average person will shed 40 pounds of skin in their lifetime.

•     The total amount of skin covering an adult human weighs 6 pounds.

      Lately, I’ve been meditating on these things: existence, creation, God’s plan.  It’s been so encouraging to remind myself of these truths and it’s helped me focus on God’s goodness, love, and character. 

      What an amazing thing: that God created us and then told us HOW He made us.  Not to mention that He didn’t just make us – He made us in His image.  We’re not rough drafts or rude sketches.  We're not ugly blobs of mud or plasma.  We have intricate parts and fine textures and quirks and personalities.  God didn’t throw a bunch of random pieces together or think that He had made a mistake (He doesn’t make mistakes) and should make another, better one.  He made us right the first time, and He planned us all out before He even made the world.  And what's even better?  He didn't just give us dust bodies.  He gave us a spirit that will live in the eternal realm when our bodies return to their original, dusty state.

Made by Love, with Love, for Love

I’d like to use this post to reach out to all the ladies in my life (not to exclude the gentlemen at all, because what I have to say should be taken to heart by you, as well).

This morning, I was daydreaming, as I like to do, when I was struck by this epiphany: “Made by Love, with Love, for Love.”  As I thought about it more, I realized that the whole of our existence is summed up by this little phrase.  The more I meditated on it, the warmer and fuzzier and happier I felt inside. 

1)  We were made by Love – Love Himself created us: “God is love” (1 John 4:16), and “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27)!  Can you imagine it?  You yourself were thought out, crafted, formed, and set apart from everyone else on earth by the very hands of Love.

2)  We were made with Love – “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).  In this verse, the word “fearfully” in Hebrew translates to “with great reverence, heart-felt interest, respect.”  This carries very much the same meaning as when we say, “Fear the Lord.”  It does not mean that we are afraid of Him; rather that we are in awe and have great reverence for who He is.  The word “wonderfully” means just that: “unique, set apart, marvelous.”
  

3)  We were made for Love – to love God and others (Luke 10:27); to be loved by Him, and to bring Him pleasure, for His glory.  We were made not to love ourselves and our empty passions but to love the One who made us, who is worthy of all our love and praise and worship.  We were made for His good pleasure – not that we are toys or objects of amusement; rather, that we were made to be in union with Him, in a relationship, and He desires for us to do so willingly, out of our love and thankfulness and reverence for Him, our Creator.       

Ladies, I say all this to encourage you and point you toward what truly matters:  Your beauty and worth in and to Christ.

Let me just clarify –

I didn’t always believe I was beautiful or worth anything.  In fact, for a long time, I believed the exact opposite – that I was worthless and ugly.
But God. 
But God pursued me.  Had He not, I would still be where I was.  “[I] love because He first loved [me].” (1 John 4:19)  And we can only love because He first loved us.        

For those of you who doubt or have yet to realize just how precious your life is, these truths are especially for you.

1)       Your life is a gift. 
God didn’t have to create you but He chose to out of love.  Every breath you take is a gift from Him.  “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”  (Genesis 2:7)   

2)    Your life is unique.
You are the only you that there will ever be.  You are uniquely set apart for His glory and special purposes.  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

3)    Your life is worth Christ’s.
Christ died to save you from your sins.  We have no hope, no life, apart from Him.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

To deny that there is any beauty in the world is to deny the handiwork of a Master Creator, deny the miracle of your own existence, and deny that your life has any purpose.

I am blessed beyond measure by God.  I have a family who loves me, friends who care for me, and an adoring man who treasures me for and helped me see the gift that I am.  That is more than I deserve, and more than I could’ve asked for.

   The pretty bow:  A reminder that I am a gift yet to be given and received, and so are you.  Search for a man who views you this way and, while you do, remember that God views you as a priceless gift and always will.

A Heart Question

At Week 4, the heart begins to beat.  Eyes, ears, and lungs begin to form.

At Week 5, tiny arms and legs appear, as does the baby's face.  The baby's blood is now separate from the mother's.

At Week 6, the fingers and toes develop.  The baby's brain is divided into 3 parts: emotion & language, hearing, and seeing.

At Week 7, buds for the baby's teeth appear.  99% of the muscles are present, and brain activity is detectable.

At Week 8, the baby moves spontaneously and is well proportioned, about the size of a thumb.  Every organ is present, but immature.  The skull, elbows, and knees are forming.

At Week 9, the hands and eyelids close if prodded.  Muscular movement begins.  The gender can now be determined.

At Week 10, the baby's fingerprints begin to form.  (Even at such a tiny size, the baby's individuality is being formed!)  Nerve and muscle connections have tripled.  The baby's eyelids fuse together to protect its delicate developing eyes.

At Week 11, the baby practices breathing and facial expressions, even smiling.  

At Week 12, the baby is now 3 inches long, 2 ounces in weight, and has fine hair.  The baby is able to swallow and feel and responds to skin stimulation.

 Did you know that the majority of abortions take place before the 13th week? 
At some point during this young child's life in the womb, it is snuffed out, dismembered, and thrown in the trash.  Would you have wanted your mom to do that to you?

 "For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 

 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well. 

  My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them."

Psalm 139:13-16 

A Lily Lesson

On January 28th, I babysat the little kids for Mom and Dad so they could go out on a date.  

The little kids are (from left to right): Megan - 11, Darcy - 10, Lily - 5, Ben - 3.

Little did I know this usual night in front of the TV would turn into a Bible lesson. 

I brought 3 movies for the kids to watch:  Anastasia, The Black Stallion, and Black Beauty.  Lily wanted to watch Anastasia, Ben wanted to watch The Black Stallion (only because of the cool picture on the front), and Megan and Darcy wanted to watch Black Beauty (Megan was reading it for school).  Lily and Ben started fighting over who would watch their movie first, so I tried to help them come to a compromise.  Meanwhile, Megan switched the Black Beauty and The Black Stallion DVDs so Ben wouldn't know the difference. 
After she had them in the opposite cases, she said, "You know Lily, the Bible says 'The last shall be first and the first shall be last.'" 
Lily, confused and indignant, pouted and said, "Those old guys were crazy!  They didn't know what they were talking about!"

I laughed, then got down on my knees and gently pulled Lily over to me.  "You know, Lily, I'm pretty sure Jesus was the one who said that." 
She gave me a skeptical look.  I smiled and continued.  "Do you know what he means?  That 'the first shall be last and the last shall be first'?"

"No."

Thinking about the situation at hand and not really the content surrounding the verse (Matt. 20:16, which had escaped me in that moment), I said, "It means that if you're last, if you're patient and wait and let someone else go first, you'll get rewarded.  Does that make sense?"

She nodded, a smile appearing on her face and a sparkle shining in her eye.  "Yes." 

"So, if you let Ben watch his movie first and you wait patiently and watch your movie last, Jesus will reward you when you get to Heaven."
Her eyes widened a little bit more, so I continued.

"Does that sound good to you?  Will you let Ben watch his movie first?"

"Yes, I'll try to wait patiently."

Happy that that was settled, I stuck The Black Stallion (AKA Black Beauty ;)) into the DVD player and we sat down to eat KFC dinner and watch the movie.  Once the movie was over and the little kids and I had shed some tears, we were ready for something fun!  We got re-comfortable on the couch and I popped in Anastasia. 
As the beginning of the movie was rolling, Lily leaned over and told me, "I'm glad I waited patiently!" 
I smiled.  "Good girl, Lily!" 
5 minutes later, Ben was asleep in my arms.  :)
        

Above:  Lily and Ben. 
Below:  Ben, asleep in my arms while watching Anastasia :)

Ability Potentials Aptitude Test Results

  So the long awaited (ok, so maybe it's only a week's worth) time has come!

A little clarification about these results:

1. LOW does not mean "fail" and HIGH does not mean "pass."  They simply graph my natural ability in that area.
2. The results of this test show that I would best be suited for work in the following fields:  Business management (as a manager or assistant manager); Social work; English; Political science/sociology.  Careers that would best suit my strengths are:  A)  Interior designer.  B)  Social worker - hospice, etc.  C)  Office manager/secretary.  D)  Manager of a small shop.  E)  Word processor/paperwork.  F)  Editor.  G)  Community librarian.  H)  Translator.  I)  Tutor. 
3. It would seem that I would most likely enjoy secretarial or editing/proofreading work, or possibly interior design since I have a high design memory (I remember details about maps and "big pictures") and I am very observant.  My higher-than-average vocabulary lends itself to this and would aid in my proofreading skills.  My visual dexterity (my ability to read and interpret written and visual symbols quickly and accurately) will make any clerical, paperwork or other such assignments that much easier for me.  
4. I have a high interest in other languages.  It was suggested that I learn Greek, Hebrew, or Latin and possibly work as a tutor in some language capacity.  Calligraphy was also suggested.
5. I love words as well as languages.  Any job where I can be putting my English and visual abilities to work would be best for me.
6. As a generalist, I am what is known as the "glue" of a team of people who have the same perspectives and are working toward the same goal.  I am an "Inch deep, mile wide" type of person, meaning I know a little bit about a lot of things (rather than a specialist, who knows a lot about a few things).  I am a peacemaker and am totally fine with delegating work to others as well as getting my own work done.  A job to me is a job, not who I am.  I am a process thinker, meaning I cannot be expected to make snap decisions on the spot.  I need time to process information and outcomes before coming to a conclusion.  I also have a steep learning curve, which means that it may take me a little bit of time to get the hang of something (I try to be a quick learner; I am when I can see, hear, and do something for myself), but once I do I can fly through tasks and assignments with ease after I settle into my niche.
7. Important things I would need to have in my job are:  Structure, spelled out tasks, set operating procedures (no snap decisions), and a diversity of tasks every day (I'd make a "To-Do" list or use a calendar to keep me on track).  I need to be interacting with people, participating in different activities, and working on a team.        

So, that's me in a nutshell.  What do you think?

To Fear or Not To Fear?

 I know I've already done a post about fear, but I just couldn't resist covering this topic in a slightly different way.   

   

In the midst of all this economic and financial trouble, it is very easy to obey messages such as this, found on the cover of The Economist's October 1, 2011 issue.  In fact, many of us don't need any help from the media when it comes to being fearful because we're already afraid.   Let's face it.  Black holes are scary because they are "unknown" and dangerous to us, which is much how we view the future.  If we don't know that the future holds financial improvement or security, we begin to worry and fear.  When our minds are constantly focused on one thing (like the future), we "make much of" it.  In other words, we worship it.    

        

I think it's important to remember that, while our economic situation is possibly one of the worst our country has seen since its birth, God is keenly aware of every black hole into which our poor planet is seemingly being pulled.  But it gets better.  Not only is God aware of those black holes, He is in control of them - He holds them in the palm of His hand.     

Nothing we do will loosen His hold on the universe or our lives. 
I've heard it said, "What you fear you worship." 
Do you fear the future? 
Or do you fear God? 
Do you fear the black hole? 
Or do you fear the One who created and holds the black hole in His hand?     

When I Am Afraid

"When I am afraid, 

I put my trust in You.

In God, whose Word I praise,

In God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

You have kept count of my tossings [wanderings];

put my tears in a bottle.  

Are they not in Your book?"

Psalm 56:3-4, 8

I remember, when I was little, singing a song based on this verse.

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you, I will trust in you, I will trust in you.  When I am afraid, I will trust in you, In God whose Word I praise."  Back then, I never thought I'd have such paralyzing fears.  Maybe little ones, like spiders and the dark and getting a spanking, but not ones that would inhibit my spiritual growth.   

Through high school, and even more recently, verse 8 has come to mean more to me than I ever thought it would.  Meditating on it, I began to gleam the message between the lines.  God knows all the struggles I've been through.  He knows all the tears I've shed...ever.  Not only that, but He has collected them, stored away and recorded.  He loves me so much that not a single tear has slipped past Him.  He's been there, beside me, catching them off my cheek and dropping them into the bottle with every last one I've ever cried.  He knows how many there are, which ones were cried for which occasion, and how many more I've yet to cry.  All because of love.        

All through August, I began to realize that I was struggling with several big fears - fears that were crippling my relationship with God and others and making it difficult for me to sleep and have joy.  I didn't feel close to God.  I desired to be near Him, but I didn't know what to do.  

At the beginning of September, my care group leader sent out an email about a fear study that was being hosted by a few of the ladies in my church.  I immediately signed up for the class and - I have to say - it was the best decision I could've made.

We went through "When I Am Afraid" by Edward T. Welch, kept personal fear journals, meditated on relevant scriptures, completed the 3 Trees for our different fears and met each week to encourage and hear from one another.

The fears I recognized in myself:

Fear of Man

Fear of Financial Ruin

I'm sure I've lived with both fears for pretty much all of my life.  I've always been shy, quiet, and reserved.  I'm an introvert.  I spend a lot of time self-analyzing, thinking and dwelling on whatever I deem important, whether it's positive or negative.  I've almost always felt self-conscious, unsure of myself, timid and afraid of ridicule and rejection when faced with voicing my opinions.   

As for fear of financial ruin, my family has never been rich, never made much money.  They even had to declare bankruptcy at one point.  Being on my own now, I am keenly aware of how much money everything costs and how much money I don't have.  Although I don't buy a lot of luxuries (really, I only get the bare necessities), I still find myself cringing at the cost of living in this area.  I have become a penny pincher, to some degree.  "Every penny counts," they say.  After all, 1 cent is the difference between $0.99 and $1.00.

But God.
It's so amazing that I can see how His hand was orchestrating all of this - and even what's happening now, after the class is over.  

• That I would realize I was fearful and desired to fight my fears but didn't know how.
•  That the fear study was organized and held when I needed it.
• That my care group leader alerted me to the class.
• That I learned to identify and combat the fears I faced with Scripture.
• That I made new friends, who encouraged me to continue with my writing, and that a few of my poems from high school touched and blessed the group (years after they'd been written, no less) by speaking to the problems we all had.
• That I stepped out of my comfort zone and read my poems out loud, despite my nervousness (and there was no ridicule, only praise and encouragement).

He opened my eyes to the false prophecies I’d been telling myself, the control I’d been giving other people over my life, the unfailing promises of good and prosperity He has made to me, and the lack of trust I’d been giving Him in return.  That lack of trust stemmed from a lack of love. 

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."

1 John 4:18 

No wonder I didn't feel close to Him.  I was fearful, and the opposite of love is fear.  I wasn't loving Him, so I wasn't trusting Him.  After all, when you love someone, you trust them, don't you?  You trust them with your hopes and dreams, your affections and emotions, your secrets and desires.  You trust that they'll trust you in return.  

I was living like an orphan, believing it was all up to me to fight my fears.  

But God.  

My Father was right there, holding my hand, waiting for me to let Him fight them for me.

"God is our refuge and strength, 

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, 

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam, 

though the mountains tremble at its swelling." 
Psalm 46:1-3