It's a beautiful world!

What is beautiful around you? Are you so focused on your daily life that you forget to notice the beautiful things that surround you?

When I used to live in a small town in the south I remember being in awe of the big mountains that surrounded me. They were beautiful, majestic. We lived close to the desert and that had an incredible beauty on its own with miles and miles of sand dunes to play on. Sometimes we would travel up to the mountain tops and enjoy the nature there. I loved the mighty trees, little brooks, and a lake where on occasion we saw eagles or bears. The air felt cleaner and fresh. It was wonderful.

We also lived in the plains of the southwest and the land is so flat we could see for miles. In fact we could see a storm coming hours before it got to us! We didn’t get much rain so it was very dry, but at the same time the land had this unusual and unexpected beauty. There were lots of canyons and I loved seeing the layers of different kinds of dirt and rocks that formed those canyons. The thunderstorms were incredible! And I haven’t seen sunrises like there. They were breathtaking!

Living now in Alaska we are surrounded by amazing nature everywhere. The snow capped mountains are beautiful. There are lakes, rivers, waterfalls and little brooks everywhere. There is so much wildlife that the moose and bear sometimes pay a visit to their neighbors inside town. It’s a tense encounter for some of the neighbors... at least it is for me! During the summer the cities are decorated with incredible flower arrangements that draw our eyes to their amazing colors and beauty. Winters are calm, serene, the land becomes a winter wonderland and many nights the Northern Lights dance in the sky.

This year the Fall colors are incredible! I can’t get enough of all the different colors around me. Some of the trees now have yellow and orange leaves that contrast with the big evergreens. The undergrowth turns orange and red and the mature berries just add to the festival of colors. It’s amazing! We are surrounded by an incredible tapestry of colors.

As I sit by the kitchen window I can see the birch trees with their leaves mostly yellow. The contrast with the evergreens right beside them is amazing. We had a pretty big rainfall last night, so the ground is speckled with little birds feasting on worms and seeds. A little squirrel is trying to muster some courage to get close to the bird feeder to gather some of the sunflower seeds that fall to the ground. Little birds are busy flying back and forth and they fill the air with their songs.  Many of the leaves from the trees have fallen to the ground and now the lawn is covered with a carpet of yellow birch leaves. Once in a while a breeze blows and more leaves come down as if golden glitter was falling everywhere making the scene even more magical. In the distance I can see  fog resting gently on top of a hill.The air is so fresh and wet and the temperatures haven’t gone up past 45F. It’s a perfect Fall day!

Surrounded by this incredible beauty my heart is drawn to the Creator of it all. It’s impossible not to be in awe of Him. If I think this is so beautiful, what will Heaven be like? And how did the world look like freshly made from the hands of my powerful and loving God? It must have been incredible!! And to think that He did it all for me. God didn’t create Adam and Even in the beginning. First God personally crafted a beautiful place, a beautiful home for the very first 2 human beings. And on the seventh day He rested from the work of creation and simply enjoyed the day with Adam and Eve. Together they enjoyed all that God had made and given to them, 2 people whom He loved so much.

Take a moment and think of the beautiful things in nature that surround you. There’s beauty everywhere! It may even be the beautiful plants that adorn your home or the sky above. Focus on that more often. Focusing more on the beautiful nature God has given us gets our mind and heart away from ourselves and turn them towards our Heavenly Father.

Have a beautiful day!

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...and God saw that it was good" 

Genesis 1:1, 25

"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." 

Genesis 2:1-3

September 11, 2001

I can’t believe it has been 10 years! September 11, 2001. I remember getting out of bed and checking my email and as I browsed the web I read the news about airplanes hitting the World Trade Center. At first I wondered if that was a very poor April fools joke, but this was September, not April. I turned the TV on and for the rest of the day my eyes were glued on the screen watching what was going on in New York. I don’t remember doing anything else but just staring at the TV in disbelief. I think the events were so horrible and unreal that my brain was having a difficult time processing what my eyes were seeing.

It has been 10 years and today the country remembers and mourns the thousands of people from all over the world who have lost their lives that day. We also remember the people whose lives were changed for ever and we also remember a country that was changed. Things are not the same.

But even though the country went through some changes one thing is for sure. It became stronger! The sleeping giant that was awaken at Pearl Harbor in 1941 became stronger on September 11, 2001. It’s people got closer to God and to each other. And as long as this giant remains connected to God, its source of strength, it will remain strong!

"It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure."

II Samuel 22:33

Beautiful!

I think the beauty industry is guilty of false advertisement! Anti-wrinkle creams don’t prevent wrinkles. Anti-cellulite lotions don’t prevent cellulite. Orange is not a beautiful natural tan as much as those tan-in-a-bottle want me to believe so. Teeth so white that glow in the dark are not helpful for night sleeping. Shampoos that create volume stop working after a certain age (if they ever work.) Breast implants don’t last a lifetime. Clothes that look good on models don’t look good on me. Nail polish comes out after I wash my hands a few times!

The list could go on and on and on...

The beauty industry wants me to believe that they have the best definition of beauty and most of us spend 10, 20 or more years trying to reach that goal of perfect beauty. We forget that there’s a lot of photoshop in the beauty industry and unless you’re a model or Hollywood actor for a living, which most of us are not, it is a lost cause! We spend a lot of precious money and time trying to look like them and this has caused a lot of frustration and heartache for us who live in the real world.

Here’s what I’m learning about Hollywood beauty: it doesn’t last! It may last while you have the make up or the designer clothes on, but when those come off that’s it! No more being beautiful. At least not according to them. And what does Hollywood know about real life anyway?

So I’m campaigning for beauty in the real world. The beauty that lasts and doesn’t cost me much! Because here’s what I’m learning about true beauty...

The most beautiful feet are the ones who run to carry good news to a friend. The sexiest legs are the ones who walk for miles to bring some form of relief to someone far away. The strongest abs are the ones stretched by the months of carrying a baby in the womb.   The sexiest shoulders are the ones used for a friend to cry on. The most beautiful arms are the ones used to embrace a friend or loved one. Truly beautiful hands are the ones of those who work in soup kitchens or hospitals, who bring flowers to a sick friend or do anything in the service of others. The sexiest lips are the ones who speak words of comfort and encouragement. Beautiful eyes are the ones that only see the good in others. The sexiest hair is the one sold by the mother to feed her children or the hair that is growing back on a cancer patient.The most beautiful face is the one engraved with those wrinkles around the lips and eyes from smiling so much. The hottest muscles are the heart muscles, strong from loving much.

This is true beauty and is one that can last a lifetime without fading and without any creams or lotions. And tt’s free for that matter! And the Bible agrees with me (or do I agree with the Bible?) when it tells us to let our beauty come from our hearts and not with elaborate hairstyles or with decorating ourselves with gold. Will I still be beautiful when the hairdo gets undone and the gold comes off?

Have you realized that the Bible says that the beauty that comes from your heart is of great worth to God? It doesn’t say that about pretty skin. It’s time to redirect our focus and search and find true beauty. And sorry Dove, but you’re still not it! The only place I’ll find real beauty is in Jesus. Everything about Him is beautiful and the more I am with Him, the more I become like Him.

I may not have Brad Pitt’s nose or the curves of J Lo, but that’s not what beautiful is anyway. Here’s the truth about being beautiful and I hope I will always remember this:

The world’s most beautiful person is not the one who spends much time in front of the mirror, but the one who spends much time at the feet of Jesus.

I really hope that when I get older I’ll have those wrinkles around my eyes from smiling so much. I’m going to invest on becoming the world’s most beautiful person and that will last...well, forever!

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 

I Peter 3:3,4
 
“ But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord, And the Lord makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” 

2 Cor. 3:16,18
 
“ Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your world” 

Psalm 119:37

Annoying!

Not long ago I was reading an article about a study of the world’s most annoying sound. The article talked about many of the sounds that were studied but one came up clearly on top. It wasn't the sound of the sirens of emergency vehicles or the sound of a chain saw. It wasn’t the sound of someone learning to play the violin or of nails on a blackboard. No. The world’s most annoying sound? Whining! People from different cultures were given math problems to solve at the sound of whining and the stress was such that they had difficulty solving simple math problems.

As I read the article I couldn’t help but agree. Anyone who is a parent knows how difficult it is to deal with a whining child. It can drive us crazy! We patiently, and not so patiently at times, encourage our children to use their words and normal voices because it can be very distressing to hear the whining that comes out of these little people.

I realized though that whining is not just a child’s thing. Adults can whine too! And worse of all, as difficult as it is to admit it, sometimes I whine! Just recently I caught myself whining...to God! I couldn’t believe it! He’s been blessing me in incredible ways. I just posted about His incredible blessings to me these past few months, and I still found something to whine about. And my motive for whining? Rain!

That’s right, rain! It has been an incredibly wet summer here in the far north and the beautiful and hot sunny days of May and June are but a vague memory in my mind. All I can remember is that it has rained pretty much every day for the last several weeks with a few exceptions here and there, not enough to make an impression. So I have been complaining. I complain about it to pretty much everyone around me. And I look outside and complain to God and beg Him to let me see the sun. And every morning that I open a window and see the rain fall, I slouch my shoulders depressed and complain again to God that winter is coming and we didn’t even have a proper summer.

But children are a blessing from the Lord in more ways than we can imagine. Earlier this week my son opened the curtains of the window in his room and realizing that it was raining yet again, complained about it just the way I’ve been doing. It caught me off guard as I saw myself in him, and I suddenly realized that I needed to be more positive about it. Last night, as I was sitting outside under the covered porch listening to the rain fall, I asked God to forgive all my complaining about the rain and I asked Him to forgive me for inflicting on Him the world’s most annoying sound. I told Him how beautiful the rain was and how wonderful it was to fall asleep to the sound of the rain on the roof of the house. I noticed how fresh nature was all wet and how the little birds still filled the air with their songs. It was indeed beautiful. And I praised God that because of the rain we hadn’t had that many forest fires which meant no smoke up in the air. I can breathe nice, fresh air.

This morning as my son commented again on the weather I helped him see how beautiful it actually was. I directed his eyes to the fog that played between the trees and encouraged him to take in a deep breath of the fresh morning air. And we both thanked our Heavenly Father for the beautiful weather.

I know God smiled at this child of His who still has so much to learn and ended up giving us a gorgeous sunny day. We had a wonderful time playing outside and working on the yard.

And now as the day is over, I get to fall asleep to the sound of the gentle rain falling on the roof. My Heavenly Father is Amazing...

Photo by William Kasper

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
 I Tess. 5:18

“So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”
 I Tim. 6:8


“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”
Philippians 4:11

Overflowing cup!

Recently I got together with some friends and we were asked to share a blessing from God from this past year.

Have you thought of how God has blessed you? I don’t know about you, but so many times it seems so much easier to focus on the problems and what is negative in life. A while back I was at a prayer meeting when people began talking about their problems, some very serious, and were asking for prayer. As I listened I felt like I needed to have some problem so I could share as well. I had in my mind the blessings God had so graciously bestowed upon me, but I felt like the good things didn’t fit when everyone was having such a difficult time. But then one of my friends shared on how important it is to acknowledge and express gratitude for the good things in life because everything good, every little comfort, is a gift from God. And those things need to be told over and over again.

I was encouraged by that thought. So often we focus and share only the problems, but it is so important to focus on the positive and to share more often the wonderful things God does in our lives.

Think about it. This world, if Satan had his way, would be all bad all the time. In fact, we really should only have bad things happening because that’s what we deserve. But good things happen as well and that’s because we have an Amazing God who wants to gives us good things. I truly believe we are encouraged in our walk through this earth when we focus on the good things.

So take a moment and think about the many good things God has given you today. If you are reading this it means you are alive and talk about an incredible blessing! And you can see and read! So many people have never learned how to read and so many have never seen the beauty of a flower or the face of their loved ones. Did you eat today? What about thanking God for the food He gives you at your next meal? So many people go to bed hungry. Do you have a place to sleep? Or did you have to lay down on the bench at the bus stop because you had no where else to go? Did it rain today? I used to live in a place with water restrictions and rain was simply wonderful. Did you have sunshine? Didn’t that just warm your skin and your soul?

The list can go on and on and I know from experience that the more you notice the blessings from God, the more positive and happier life will be.

As for me this is what I have to say about God’s blessings in my life: my cup is overflowing! And I want to shout it to the world because my God, the God who created the universe, loves me with this immense love and wants to shower me, and you, with good things!

 

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."

Psalm 23:1

Good friends!

I wonder if there's anyone in the world who truly enjoys being alone all the time. Human beings are social creatures and even though most of the problems of the world have to do with relationships, we all feel the need for meaningful ones in our lives.

A friend of mine recently expressed the need to have better friends and the need to belong to a community. She realized that she didn't have many friends, and that the friends she had were not encouraging her in the direction she feels she should be going.

It is a fact that our friends have an impressive influence in our lives. People who are constantly around people who smoke will eventually smoke. People who befriend people who enjoy the outdoors tend to enjoy it too. We always hear of couples who have been married for several years and how they resemble each other in so many ways. It's not because they had so much in common when they got married, but because they were growing together and influencing each other daily.

I remember the counsel of my parents when growing up to be careful with the friends I chose, and they always stressed the importance of surrounding myself with people who would have a positive and godly influence on me. The Bible also has a lot of advice for us when it comes to relationships. God always encouraged the Israelites to not marry and mingle with people from pagan nations and we know very well what happened when they obeyed and when they disobeyed God.

We've been house hunting. It's supposed to be a fun and exciting experience, but it's not like that all the time. We almost bought a house that was so beautiful with big windows, lots of light, and a big yard. Then a friend came to help with the inspection and showed us parts of the house that we hadn't seen before such as the foundation and pointed to us problems that could end up costing us a lot. I'm so thankful for this friend who made sure we didn't get into more trouble than we could handle. So we didn't buy that house and the house hunting continues. But this past week was supposed to be the week when we would close on that first house and get the keys to our new place. I expressed to a friend my discouragement and told her that that day I could be getting the key to my new house. She was quick to get me out of whining mode by telling me that that day I could be getting the key to my biggest nightmare!

Boy, did that put me back in my place! I had no argument for that because I knew it was true, and even though I already knew it in my mind, it was important for me to be reminded of it. And God used my friend to encourage me and lift me up on a weak moment of my life.

Friends are great and being surrounded by people who encourage us in our journey through this life is so important. Whichever people we allow to influence us could make a difference in whether we will enjoy eternal life or not! So I encourage you to surround yourself with people who will lift you up! People who are godly and loving. Get yourself involved with a church family. If you're not married, choose your partner well. Let the people be a blessing to you, but don't stop there. Be a blessing to them. Choose well your relationships.

It's true that we will still have problems with our friends. After all we live in an imperfect world. But if they are good friends the misunderstandings and problems will not affect the friendship and may even strengthen it!

On this journey through life on earth, I know where I want to end up. Soon my Savior is coming to pick me up and take me to Heaven and I want to surround myself with people who will encourage me on this. And there we will enjoy real, intimate, and trouble-free relationships forever!

 

http://www.walk-this-way.com/encourage.htm

"Encourage one another and build each other up!"

I Thessalonians 5:11

"Two are better than one. If they fall down they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:10