"They heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze." - Genesis 3:8 (The Message)
Gardens ... They seem to whisper a secret language to our souls. Gardens have long been a sanctuary to man. A place on this journey to pause and marvel at the work of His hand. One morning as I admired the azalea's and dogwoods, God started teaching my soul about His Love of the garden. At the very creation of time ,He chose the garden as a place to dwell with his beloved. It was where He went to spend time with Adam and Eve. In the cool of the day He would relax and just be with the ones He so loved. Can you imagine the jasmine in the air, so intoxicating in the cool breeze it would almost take your breath away? Eden and all her glory. The place where God intended to dwell with His children. The secret place. Although we can no longer enter Eden, God's passion for us brought Him to earth as a man (Jesus). Who would reconcile us to Him forever. The sacrifice Christ made for us allows God to dwell with us in a new garden. One even more intimate than the original. The very one He was willing to die for. Yes ! We are His Garden. The very spirit of God dwells in us. He longs to spend time with us there, the creator of the universe wants to spend time with you in the garden.What will He see when He meets you there? Will it be well cared for? Grounds being kept in anticipation of The King's arrival? Your very time with Him alone! Or ,will He find a garden neglected over grown with weeds? When was the last time you prepared your garden to fellowship with THE KING?
Dreama Kees
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
True Beauty
I love looking beautiful just like any other woman. You can watch a little girl's love of playing dress up and making herself beautiful. Every bride adorns herself in beauty on her wedding day. Women long to feel beautiful. It is our deep question, "Am I lovely?", "Am I beautiful?". The world has a funny way of telling us how to obtain beauty and for many it feels out of reach. And that deep question is often answered "No". We feel we'll never have the perfect body, complexion, hair, so therefore how could we be beautiful.
God's word has something to say to us about beauty. If we look around us we'll see expressions of beauty everywhere. In the vibrant colors of a sunset, a field of Black-Eyed Susans, the laughter of children, a rainbow. The world is filled with sweet smells, vibrant colors, and magnificent beauty. God is the creator of beauty. We are an expression of His beauty and He delights in us. God has given us the creative ability to make things beautiful. I love to dress up in make up and put my hair in curls, wear sparkling jewerly, sweetly smelling perfumes, and have my hands and feet pampered. All of these things feel great and there is nothing wrong with any of it. However, it is all fleeting and will fade away. God taught me this lesson a few weeks ago. I was asked to speak at a small church one Sunday morning and the invitation was a day's notice. Not much time to prepare, but I felt led to go anyway. The problem was I desperately needed a haircut, to feel fresh and beautiful before I presented myself to a group of people. I simply could not go without a haircut. Thankfully, I have a dear friend who does hair and I called her for an emergency beautification treatment. She agreed, so I was happily headed for a fresh new look. On my way out the door, the question dropped in my heart, have you prayed, have you spent time with the giver of all beauty, are you prepared for the message you need to convey?
My answer was "No". Suddenly my mission for a haircut was diverted and I ended up at a small country church that I grew up in. It was dusk and I found myself surrounded with true loveliness, and peace. I sat on the front steps of that church, notebook and bible in hand and watched the sun set in front of me. I enjoyed the quietness for a while and then began to pray. "Okay God, I'm ready to take notes". Pen in hand, I waited and nothing came. After awhile I took a walk though the graveyard to three crosses that stood in a distance. The middle one had a crown of thorns hung around it. I stared at that crown and was reminded of what Jesus did for me. I bowed low at the cross and wept. After a while I stood and walked back to my car, realizing the purpose of my being there was to be emptied. Poured out, to be filled with God's spirit, true beauty. I did not have a new haircut, but I had a new found confidence in who I really was. The daughter of a King, a princess. Now that is beautiful...
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30
Kristin Spehar
God's word has something to say to us about beauty. If we look around us we'll see expressions of beauty everywhere. In the vibrant colors of a sunset, a field of Black-Eyed Susans, the laughter of children, a rainbow. The world is filled with sweet smells, vibrant colors, and magnificent beauty. God is the creator of beauty. We are an expression of His beauty and He delights in us. God has given us the creative ability to make things beautiful. I love to dress up in make up and put my hair in curls, wear sparkling jewerly, sweetly smelling perfumes, and have my hands and feet pampered. All of these things feel great and there is nothing wrong with any of it. However, it is all fleeting and will fade away. God taught me this lesson a few weeks ago. I was asked to speak at a small church one Sunday morning and the invitation was a day's notice. Not much time to prepare, but I felt led to go anyway. The problem was I desperately needed a haircut, to feel fresh and beautiful before I presented myself to a group of people. I simply could not go without a haircut. Thankfully, I have a dear friend who does hair and I called her for an emergency beautification treatment. She agreed, so I was happily headed for a fresh new look. On my way out the door, the question dropped in my heart, have you prayed, have you spent time with the giver of all beauty, are you prepared for the message you need to convey?
My answer was "No". Suddenly my mission for a haircut was diverted and I ended up at a small country church that I grew up in. It was dusk and I found myself surrounded with true loveliness, and peace. I sat on the front steps of that church, notebook and bible in hand and watched the sun set in front of me. I enjoyed the quietness for a while and then began to pray. "Okay God, I'm ready to take notes". Pen in hand, I waited and nothing came. After awhile I took a walk though the graveyard to three crosses that stood in a distance. The middle one had a crown of thorns hung around it. I stared at that crown and was reminded of what Jesus did for me. I bowed low at the cross and wept. After a while I stood and walked back to my car, realizing the purpose of my being there was to be emptied. Poured out, to be filled with God's spirit, true beauty. I did not have a new haircut, but I had a new found confidence in who I really was. The daughter of a King, a princess. Now that is beautiful...
Kristin Spehar
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