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The Tree

She notices the flaws and imperfections and hates them. Her branches and leaves weep and bend in sorrow and she lives in despair…

Until the painter comes along.

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The Tree is written and illustrated by my imaginative and creative friend, Stella. Stella is a 12 year old beloved child of God who thinks and feels deeply. She is not only a good communicator, but she is able to expresses herself artisticly in drawing, as well as the written word. I am so happy to share this piece of her work with you!

The tree is unlike any other tree. Gracefully bent, helping all of the others by catching their fallen leaves and giving them someone to look down on in their straight and perfect form. All of them seem to be perfect- taller, straighter, fuller, and more beautiful than this tree. She is bent and withered. Wrapped in vines and full of knots and discolored leaves. Another tree is behind her. Short, but still straight. The tree that has lived unlike the others is prepared to help the little one. It is her responsibility – and she is used to it.

She is hidden in a crowd – but colorful and unique. Her job is to assist. Her arguments never to be won; lives to be wrong and left in a shadow. Her beauty and imperfections are looked down upon compared to that of the straighter, taller, plainer trees.

Unappreciated and unknown.

By others…

But mostly by herself.

She notices the flaws and imperfections and hates them. Her branches and leaves weep and bend in sorrow and she lives in despair…

Until the painter comes along.

The painter sees her.

The painter ignores all the flaws as imperfections and sees them as tools. The knots are good for climbing, the branches bent to suit a small girl. The vines prepared to bear beautiful blossoms. The leaves are as colorful as a rainbow drawn by a child.

She wishes to be noticed like this. Always appreciated.

But for now she’ll wait.

Until she grows…

Into the tree…

That all the others are.

Except when she does…

She’ll be more beautiful.

More graceful.

More than all the others.

Have You Room for Christ?

There was no veneer of godliness among those who followed Him. Just as the shepherds smelled of sheep, these people smelled of how they lived. And it is these same people who would, in turn, make room for Jesus, glorifying and praising God, sharing the good news with others.

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On December 21st 1862, Charles Spurgeon delivered a sermon appealing to his congregations to question whether there was room for Jesus in their conversations, their households, and especially in their hearts. “The palace, the forum and the inn have no room for Christ. Have you room for Christ?”

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. – Luke 2:6-7

Mary’s time had come and her baby was about to enter this world as every other child, but under very different circumstances. There was no guest room for them in the Inn. His birthplace would be that of animals. His eyes would open to a dark stable. His first smells would be typical of a barn. His first bed would be a feeding trough and his first visitors would be shepherds who smelled of sheep. 

This manger scene is a snapshot of how He lived his life. The Son of Man had no place to lay his head. Jesus was a king without an earthly home or throne. He lived in poverty and deprivation inviting others to join Him, trading earthly treasures for a heavenly kingdom. 

There was no room for Him with the scribes and Pharisees. Their squeaky clean appearance made them blind to the filthy condition of their own hearts. Jesus called them whitewashed tombs full of dead peoples bones and full of all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27-28) He wasn’t welcome among the beautiful people whose own outward righteousness blinded them from their core unrighteousness and rendered them unable to detect the stench it produced.

During His earthly ministry He centered Himself among the poor and the needy, the blind and the sick, the tax collectors, the publicans and sinners. He called those who were considered scabs on the skin of society – the unlovely and immoral. There was no veneer of godliness among those who followed Him. Just as the shepherds smelled of sheep, these people smelled of how they lived. And it is these same people who would, in turn, make room for Jesus, glorifying and praising God, sharing the good news with others.

The human condition is still as it was the day Jesus was born. There are those among us who are convinced their own righteousness is worthy of heaven without a savior. There are those of us all too aware of our own sin and feel the need to clean up the mess before inviting Jesus to be a part of our everyday world. We keep Him in church where we believe righteousness lives and don’t take Him home with us. 

Never forget that Jesus, born in unsanitary conditions, chose to live a life among and minister to the unclean dregs of society. He is comfortable in our mess. He creates order out of chaos and restores us to a right relationship with God. He gives us a new, tender heart to replace our hardened heart. He removes our filthy, unrighteous rags of iniquity and clothes us in splendid robes of righteousness. 

Knowing the unclean conditions Jesus was born into this world and how he lived, would it not make sense to make room for him in the unholy, unrighteous places of our own lives; our homes, our work, our conversations, and the innermost places in our hearts?

Just as no one cleaned up the stable before Jesus was born, we needn’t try to clean it all up before it is fit for the King of Kings to enter. We cannot make clean what sin has stained. Only Jesus can do that. We need only to make room for him. Open up the doors of your life and allow the Savior to clean from the inside out.

Have you room for Christ?

Camper Keys and Other Lost Things

One might be inclined to think that the “magic” to finding lost things is prayer but that’s just not true. Many a lost item has been covered in prayer yet never found and many things have been found without even a scant prayer. The focus of my story is not that lost keys were found but that, as the object of God’s affection, (Deut. 10:15) God bowed down to see me and pursued my heart.

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We seek after what we value. We determine to look for what was lost until we find it. We diligently search for it. It becomes a mental preoccupation. We may go about our day as usual but our minds cannot rest until we have recovered what was lost. We keep a watchful eye out for a glimpse of it. The fear of never finding it gnaws at our peace.

Some things just wander off like children and pets, unaware they are lost. Some things are carelessly handled and get lost in the shuffle of life like a cell phone, keys and my morning cup of coffee and some things just rebel like wayward children or chained dogs who’ve broken loose and run in freedom.

Jesus, in Luke 15 told three parables; The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coins and Lost Sons. In each of these narratives, something of personal value is lost, the owner ardently searches for it, and when it is found there is much rejoicing and a calling together of people to celebrate. Peace and joy replaced troubled hearts and anxious thoughts. A thankful heart is inspired to throw a party and celebrate!

I have a personal parable of lost and found…maybe not a parable but a really sweet story. The story of the lost camper keys. The setting is a campground in northern New Hampshire. It begins as I lock the camper and tuck my keys into my bag before going out to dinner. After dinner we made a quick stop at Walmart and then headed back to the campground. Upon arrival I went to grab my keys to open the camper – gone. I searched frantically for them; in my bag, in the truck, on the ground. I prayed and searched for about 15 minutes. I called both the restaurant and Walmart but no one had turned in my keys.

My husband was not impressed. His eye-roll tone of voice revealed his annoyance. He knew where his keys were and promptly unlocked the door. I think if it hadn’t been only three days earlier that I had left my wallet at the local seafood restaurant while picking up takeout, he may have had a wee bit more grace for me. The fact that I recovered my wallet, in tact, had no bearing on the fact that I had lost it.

Now this. I was feeling a bit like an irresponsible child. I still held out hope of finding them though I was ready to resign myself to the fact that they were forever lost. Keys are, after all, replaceable.

Out to dinner again, our last night of camping, we decided to run by Walmart just to see if maybe someone had turned in my keys. In passing I made the comment that I never remembered not finding something lost that I had prayed about. There was silence in the truck.

When we entered the store everyone scattered in different directions, each in search of something different. I headed straight for Customer Service. The very nice lady held up a set of keys…not my keys. When I described the retro key ring she held up a finger signaling hold on and promptly returned with my keys. MY KEYS! I nearly sobbed!. After a somewhat awkward exchange, (I think she was taken aback by my exuberance and joy) I hurried off to find the others!

Finding the keys was remarkable! Telling my husband was more than delightful! I found my husband and his response did not disappoint. He was stunned. He couldn’t believe it! He laughed. I cried. From down the aisle our friend rushed up to us and told me he had felt badly knowing that I had prayed for keys that he was pretty sure I wouldn’t find. He laughed! We all laughed! And all the way home I wept.

There were no tears when I lost the keys. I felt badly but I wasn’t undone. I wept when I found them out of this weird combination of humility and joy. I was delighted to find them but I was undone by the grace and mercy of the Lord. On the surface, this was about keys – just keys – but underneath this was a God-seized opportunity for His glory to shine on me in my smallness but not just me. My husband and my friend saw what I saw and knew what I knew and marveled. A kind and loving God revealed himself in an ordinary place. I saw the Lord because He saw me. He is the God who sees me. (Genesis 16:13)

One might be inclined to think that the “magic” to finding lost things is prayer but that’s just not true. Many a lost item has been covered in prayer yet never found and many things have been found without even a scant prayer. The focus of my story is not that lost keys were found but that, as the object of God’s affection, (Deut. 10:15) God bowed down to see me and pursued my heart. I was confronted and humbled by His love in a small place yet in an overwhelming way to the praise of His glory!

How astounding that a Holy and Wise God reaches down to build relationship with us though a million small things over the course of a lifetime! His love reaches to the heavens and his faithfulness to the skies! And in His light we see light. (Psalm 36:5, 9)

But Mary…

And in this moment of hearing the marvelous account from the shepherds, Mary doesn’t share her own story with them. She adds this piece of God’s story to her treasure chest of knowing, seeing and confirming.

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Luke 2:8-20 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And The angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Imagine, just another starry night out in the field with the sheep and suddenly the glory of the Lord shines, as no other source of light, and an angel appears before them. The angel has a message; good news of great joy for all the people. He tells them of the Saviors birth and where to find him. And then a host of angels, an army, appears declaring peace with God brought by the Savior. The fear-gripped shepherds didn’t speak until the angels went away from them into heaven. Immediately, they hurried off to see for themselves this thing that the Lord had made known to them.

The shepherds rejoiced in what they saw. They glorified and praised God for what they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had said. In utter amazement and wonder, they joyfully declared this good news to others. The shepherds made known the saying that had been told to them concerning this child. And all who heard it were astounded and marveled at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary… Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Mary already had a heart full of treasured moments. She had her own angelic experience and when she shared with Elizabeth all that the angel had told her it became real. While Mary must have had a difficult conversation with Joseph, there is no record of her sharing this news with anyone up until this moment. As Mary spoke, the babe in Elizabeth’s womb lept for joy. When Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirmed the identity of Mary’s yet to be born son, Mary’s heart rejoiced and filled to an overflowing song of praise.

She was the one chosen to give birth to the son of God, Savior of the world. What a fantastic realization! Mary’s song exalts God as merciful, faithful and mighty. Her spirit rejoiced in God “my” Savior.

And in this moment of hearing the marvelous account from the shepherds, Mary doesn’t share her own story with them. She adds this piece of God’s story to her treasure chest of knowing, seeing and confirming. She contemplates and reflects on past, present and future not fully knowing how it will be lived out but fully knowing it is true.

Mary has given birth to the Savior of the world.

But Mary…

One For All

The call to serve, grow and mature is a corporate undertaking. Growing together as the body of Christ is an others-centered pursuit of growth for the maturity of the entire body.

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One for all, all for one. While this declaration and motto of The Three Musketeers is not in the Bible, it is a principle of unity found in the New Testament. The concept of this motto is that the one supports and is dedicated to and lives for the good of everyone within the group and the group supports and is dedicated to and lives for the good of the one. The deep bond of love, trust, commonality of purpose, beliefs and goals strengthens the resolve of dedication to one another, placing the good of another above and before one’s own interests and profit/gain. It’s a living out of a surrendered life that sacrifices for others. This is the way of the body of Christ. We grow together maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This theme is woven through the New Testament.

If you are a Christian it is likely that you would agree that spiritual disciplines are essential to spiritual growth. Our growth as believers is directly related to our personal training; study of the Bible, prayer, fasting, journaling etc. As 1 Tim. 4:7 says, we are to train ourselves for godliness. The purpose of our training is not to be trained. The Pharisees were well trained in spiritual disciplines. They were trained and displayed their piety as a performance for all to see and admire. But God calls us beyond the exercise of these disciplines to a heart and mind transformation. It is through these disciplines that we become more like Jesus in desires, affections and character. It’s the process of becoming what Christ has already made us. Though we are positionally righteous through the person and work of Jesus, we grow experientially into that position which will never be fully attained this side of heaven.

In society today, personal growth and development has become a multi-million dollar industry. People from all backgrounds, professions and vocations are pursuing personal development for career and life. This focus on self improvement can be a selfish endeavor. Generally speaking, the desire to become a better me or live my best life now is for my own personal gain. This is the way of the world.

God gives us a higher reason to pursue personal growth and development. The call to serve, grow and mature is a corporate undertaking. Growing together as the body of Christ is an others-centered pursuit of growth for the maturity of the entire body.

Ephesians 4:11-15 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking truth in love, we are to grow up in every way to him who is the head into Christ, from who the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love for us made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). We are His body; the bride of Christ. We have an obligation, born out of that great love, to grow up and mature in Christ that goes far beyond personal development. It is our duty, our act of devotion to Christ and our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As believers and followers of Jesus, we must set our hearts on knowing Him and growing up in every way into Him. Personal growth leads to corporate growth. When we work together for the maturity of one body we take responsibility for one another and help each other grow up into Christ who is the head. When we use our God-given gifts, talents and resources to encourage one another toward Christ-likeness, we build one another up and mature as others around us are also building one another up and maturing. We grow and mature together.

When a group of naturally imperfect, self-centered people are joined together in any group, it gets complicated by personalities, passions and deceitful desires. He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Cor. 5:15) He died that we might no longer have to live for ourselves. Only by the work of the Spirit are we able to put off the old self, be renewed in the spirit of our minds and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:22-24) It is only then that we can speak the truth with our neighbors because we are members of one anther. (Eph.4:25)

If we are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph. 4:1), we must be prepared to walk it with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This walk is marked by direction, effort, purpose and progress. It is characterized by humility, truth in love, gentleness, patience and a bearing with one another. It is made possible only by the outpouring of God’s abundant grace. It’s not a mindless, casual stroll in the park. It’s an intentional, others-centered walk toward unity and maturity in Christ.

Believers are called to live in unity together. There is one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4). I must be devoted to growing, maturing and living for Christ because I am constrained and compelled by His love for me and my beholden, reciprocating love for him. I can only consider and commit my self to this great call of “until we all attain…” (Ephesians 4:11) because of His great love and sufficient grace.

One for all, all for one.

Less of ME

Followers of John were concerned that Jesus was stealing his ministry. John knew if people were to follow Jesus they could not follow him.

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Show-stealing, glorying-thieving human nature always wants to be the best, the brightest, the most spectacular and the hero. The flesh wants to rise up and be seen, heard and known. The flesh competes with Jesus for the spotlight. How often we lose sight of the fact that we are but specks of dust reflecting His glory. We have no glory of our own. All our springs; the sources of life, blessings and everything good is in the Lord.

John knew. His mission was to boldly foretell and proclaim the coming of the Messiah. He lived his whole life to this end. He humbly, obediently, served the Lord his God as a way-maker and path-forger, heralding the news of the coming Messiah. John was chosen by God to introduce Jesus as the Messiah to the world and to baptize him and yet he didn’t see himself worth to carry his sandals.

John 3:26-30 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to who you bore witness – look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Imagine this scene playing out on stage. John introduces Jesus to the audience and positions Him center stage. John baptizes Jesus and then he steps out of the spotlight. The light on John fades to dark as the spotlight shines brighter on Jesus. John does not aspire to share the stage of fame with Jesus. As he said to his followers, “He must increase, but I must decrease.

Followers of John were concerned that Jesus was stealing his ministry. John knew if people were to follow Jesus they could not follow him. As John explained to his followers, he who has the bride is the bridegroom. The best man is not in competition with the bridegroom. John was not in competition with Jesus. Instead of rivalry there is joy in the heart of the best man as he witnesses the marriage of the bride and bridegroom. John’s joy was complete. The best man steps aside still pointing to the bridegroom calling attention to him. John must step aside as the Messiah moves forward.

Remind us Lord that our hope and significance lie in Jesus, the one who lived for our righteousness and died for our sin. Jesus, name above all names in heaven and in all the earth is the bright and morning star. We can never outshine You! When we compete with You for glory and attention, humble our heart with the reminder of who we are compared to who You are. Give us the grace and humility to submit to You in the process of becoming less as you become more as we are a people not worthy to carry your sandals.

More of Him, less of me!

Who do You Really Represent?

When I remember my role as ambassador to Christ, the good name of Jesus will be showcased in all my associations; my family, my marriage, my job and my church. Before and above all else, I represent Jesus and endeavor to live in such a way that His name be made famous.

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My thinking was myopic and faulty. I had fallen short. While it was true, I represented my church and the desire to represent well was a good objective, it was secondary to my ambassadorship of Christ Jesus. As a believer and follower of Christ, I am sent out as ambassador to represent the one who sent me and to demonstrate His character in the manner by which I live and speak. As Christians we are called to represent Christ in words and actions. Acts 1:8, 2 Cor. 5:20

As I was making a reservation for a women’s retreat I determined, as a representative of my local church, to be especially kind, polite and patient. I had resolved to live out Colossians 4:5-6, Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of time. Let your speech always be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

As it turned out, there was a bit of confusion on the part of the hotel representative as to who we were and there appeared to be no block of rooms available for our group. A short phone call became long, filled with questions and long pauses of being on hold.

When the confusion was eventually cleared up, the hotel representative thanked me for my kindness. As I hung up the phone my heart swelled with gratitude for the grace to represent my church well by exercising patience and kindness. That momentary sense of victory turned to piercing conviction and joy turned to sorrow. I had fallen short of the mark.

Though I had set my mind to represent the church well, the object of my representation was wrong. My goal is not to make my church look good. It’s to showcase my Lord to the praise of His glory. How quickly and easily I forget that while we live out our lives before human-kind, we live for the good name above all names, Jesus Christ and for His glory.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven.

Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and faithfulness!

When I remember my role as ambassador to Christ, the good name of Jesus will be showcased in all my associations; my family, my marriage, my job and my church. Before and above all else, I represent Jesus and endeavor to live in such a way that His name be made famous.

Psalm 45:17 I will cause Your name to be remembered to all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Above and before all else, I represent Jesus.

Should not my every encounter be an opportunity of mindful representation?

The Low Whisper

The amazing, miraculous, and astounding are seen because their presents disrupts, unsettles and overshadows the ordinary. What of the daily whispers? How do we recognize God in the common?

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I had forgotten that hearing God in the ordinary everyday moments of life was a practiced ability. It is a skill to be honed as a tool, tuned as an instrument and sharpened as a blade. It requires conscious, continuous practice to hear the low whisper of God in the ordinary; to recognize His presence in the smalls, the bigs and everything in between.

Recently, I asked a 10 year old if she ever remembered a time when she had asked God to help her do something that she knew and believed he had answered for her. It took a bit of thinking but her answer was a spectacular back flip into the pool. That was not the answer I was fishing for. I had cast my net out hoping for a simple, “I prayed for God to help me study for a test.” or “I prayed for courage to talk to the new girl at school.” I was hoping for a simple prayer in an ordinary moment in life.

But of course she thought of that particular moment! It was a hallmark feat in her life! She really knew and believed God was her helper. She called upon Him and He heard her. He was her helper. And a wonderful moment it was! It was personal and important to her. I was blessed to hear her story.

That moment made me think of how often we miss the low whispers of the God of the details. The same God who parted the seas also knows when one sparrow falls to the ground. While, as believers in Jesus, we want to be seen, heard and known by God, God desires to be seen, heard and known by His people. The invisible God is made known to us through His Word and creation. He is experienced as we diligently seek him even in the routine, common areas of our lives. He acts on our behalf as we wait for him (Isaiah 64:4).

Elijah was prophet running for his life from the wicked Jezebel. In a cave on Mount Horeb the word of the Lord came to him.

1 Kings 19:11-13 And he Said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord Passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And After the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and After the fire, the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?’

God was not found in the spectacular; the wind, the earthquake, the fire. God was found in the low whisper. There were no flashing lights, sirens, ground shaking announcements or heraldic proclamations. A low whisper. When Elijah heard it, he drew closer to it and positioned himself to hear. Elijah desired a personal moment with the Lord. Only those who are near, with an ear tuned to the voice can hear a low whisper.

The amazing, miraculous, and astounding are seen because their presence disrupts, unsettles and overshadows the ordinary. What of the daily whispers? How do we recognize God in the common? How do we come to realize that God helps us in our strengths as well as our weaknesses? It is He who gives us gifts, talents and abilities and who helps us in our struggles. He is still there directing and delighting in the details. Psalm 37:23 tells us that “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” And yet, so often we miss Him in the common, everyday, ordinary moments of life.

Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you.

Recognizing God in the whispers of life takes practice. How did Elijah listen? He drew closer to God’s voice and positioned himself to hear. Elijah tuned his ear to the voice of God. One very simple but profoundly important way to hear God in everyday, ordinary moments of life is to pray about those very things. Praying positions us to wait and watch for the Lord. Praying heightens our awareness of God’s presence in those moments. Praying affords us a platform for gratitude and thankfulness and multiplies blessings and glory back to the giver of all good gifts. Praying and giving thanks in all things reckons us to say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper.” (Heb. 13:6)

Loving Father and Attentive Lord, I pray to you that I might see you this day in the whispers of life; that I may seek to know you in the ordinary and recognize your handiwork and fingerprint on the details of my day. Give me the grace to recognize and acknowledge, in those moments of accomplishment, that in my own strength and apart from you I can do nothing. May your spirit open my eyes to see you in all things and give me a listening ear to hear your still, small voice. Amen!

Influences and Identity

It is so easy to be weighed down by comparison and thoughts that tell you you’re not enough, but when they become the only voices that you listen to, you are choosing to ignore everything that God says about you over and over again in Scripture.

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In this guest post, Cate Richter shares her personal experience and calls us to be shaped and influenced by the truth of God’s Word above any other voice, either internal or external.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 NIV

When I was younger, maybe 3 or 4, I would spend HOURS (no exaggeration, we have videos) staring at myself in the mirror and posing. I loved my reflection and I couldn’t get enough of myself. Call it arrogance if you want, but I was confident for sure! At some point in my life, that all changed, and I began to hide from my reflection, ashamed of what I looked like and who I was. What changed? As a child, my primary influences were my parents. They were constantly telling me I was beautiful, smart, and strong. They built me up and made sure I knew who I was and how they saw me. As a teenager, I was bombarded with thousands of influences telling me how I could be better- how I could get skinnier, grow longer hair, have nicer shoes, get better grades. Eventually, I started to view myself the way I was convinced everyone else viewed me- never enough

As we grow up, we grow further from the influence of our parents, becoming immersed in the world outside of our home. This isn’t always a bad thing, but in my case, I chose to ignore what my parents said about me and believe what the world said. Furthermore, I ignored who God said I was, living in shame of what I looked like and who I was. As I moved further from Him, His influence over me faded, giving way to my growing insecurity and shame. At some point, I got so sick of being insecure and unsure of myself that I decided to make some changes. I started limiting all influences in my life that I couldn’t trust completely (social media, mean girls, tv, marketing). Instead, I turned to God. I begged Him to show me who He created me to be, and He did. I spent weeks searching through scripture and finding evidence of my identity in Christ.

It is so easy to be weighed down by comparison and thoughts that tell you you’re not enough, but when they become the only voices that you listen to, you are choosing to ignore everything that God says about you over and over again in Scripture. Why would you want to live in lies, rather than living in love? You are an image bearer of the Almighty God! When God created mankind, He declared that they were made in His own image. This means that we act as a reflection of God here on earth. Furthermore, in 1 John 3:1 God calls us His children, inviting us to become like Him while Colossians 3:12 describes us as chosen, holy, and beloved. 2 Corinthians 5:17 calls us a new creation, free from past mistakes and shame, and 1 Corinthians 3:16 calls us God’s temple. Romans 5:8 describes the pinnacle of God’s love for us; the death of Christ on the cross for our sins. Who are we to ignore the greatest act of love in history and continue living in our shame, self-doubt, and self depreciation? The God who created the Universe loves you so wholly and so personally that He offered up the ultimate sacrifice in order for you to live a life free of the burden of sin!

So, make the conscious effort to surround yourself with the truth of who you are in Christ. The closer you are to Him, the easier it will become to discern the truth in the midst of so many lying voices. As 1 John 4:16 says, if you are abiding in Him, you are abiding in love, and if you are abiding in the love of Christ, you will begin to see yourself the way God sees you- as His child, unconditionally loved and unfathomably cherished. Draw near to Him, allowing Him to be the greatest influence in your life, and choose to believe that your Creator knows you well enough to tell you who you are.

By Cate Richter

The God Who Sees

While none of us are servants or slaves in a Biblical narrative, we too, have the faithful eye of the Lord upon us. He is not unaware of our circumstances. He is a God who is near and not a God who is far off (Jer. 23:23). He knows our name and has promised to be with us wherever we go and protect us in all circumstances (Is.43:1-3, Josh 1:9). He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). His is grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

The Upward PathLeave a comment

While it might be easy to envision that God sees the world, it is sometimes difficult to conceive that God sees us; that His eye is upon us. He is not only aware of our circumstance and has compassion for us, but he acts on our behalf. He has purposed our circumstances for our benefit and the praise of his glory. He is the God who sees you. He is the God who sees me.

He is the God Who Sees

Psalm 33:13-22

13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

He is the God who sees.

The Psalmist takes us from the big picture oversight to the specific and to the personal. He gives us the overview: He looks down from heaven and sees all the children of man. He gets specific and speaks of the King and the warrior. And then he gets personal. His eye is on those who fear him and who hope in his steadfast love. He uses personal language; our, we, us. The eye of the Lord is upon us. Not only does God see us but he acts on our behalf. He is our rescuer and our deliverer – He is our help and our shield.

God sees us. He has eyes for us. He sees us in our affliction and distress. We have His attention. Do we see Him? Do we have eyes for Him? Can we recognize Him when He reveals himself to us? Does He have our attention?

The God who sees, sees you. The One who sees, sees me. The One who sees, saw Hagar.

Genesis 16 gives an account of Hagar and her personal encounter with the God who sees; the God who saw her.

Hagar was a servant given by Sarai to her husband, Abram as way of “helping” God fulfill His promise of an heir. Hagar found herself pregnant, mistreated, miserable and hopeless. When Hagar could take no more she ran away.

The Angel of the Lord finds her in the wilderness. He speaks her name and knows her status as a servant of Sarai. He asks her questions. He listens to her words and hears the cries of her heart. And then he tells her she must return to her mistress and submit to her.

The Lord did not promise to rescue Hagar out of her circumstances. He did not condemn her oppressors. He did not bring punishment on those who treated her poorly. He called her to a hard thing. He made himself known to her in the midst of her circumstances. She knew at that moment that she was not alone and that The God who sees, saw her and was caring for her. He gave her a glimpse of the future and strengthened her for the path he laid out for her. His eye was upon her. She had confidence in Him.

The Lord had Hagar’s attention. She had eyes for him. She recognized her messenger as God and gave him the name, a God of Seeing. Her words, “Truly I have seen him who looks after me.” reveal her confidence and hope in the Lord. She named the well Beer-lahai-roi (a well of the living one Who Sees Me).

Hagar had the promise of God’s eye upon her. She submitted to the counsel of the Lord and returned to Sarai. The Lord saw; the Lord listened; the Lord acted on Hagar’s behalf.

The Lord see; the Lord listens; the Lord acts on our behalf.

While none of us are servants or slaves in a Biblical narrative, we too, have the faithful eye of the Lord upon us. He is not unaware of our circumstances. He is a God who is near and not a God who is far off (Jer. 23:23). He knows our name and has promised to be with us wherever we go and protect us in all circumstances (Is.43:1-3, Josh 1:9). He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). His is grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

It might make sense, in human terms, to imagine that God sees the “important” people of this world but overlooks the average, invisible nobodies such as ourselves. But Jesus ministry tells us a different story. He sought out and ministered to the poor, the needy, the scorned, the insignificant, the abused, the afflicted and the marginalized; the woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, the woman caught in adultery, the crazy guy in the tombs, the blind, the sick and the lepers. He saw them. He knew their circumstances. He knew their names. He acted on their behalf.

Know this: He is the God who sees. He is the God who sees you. He is the God who sees me.

He is the God who sees.