Windows

Several years ago, I found myself headed down to Tennessee with one of my college roommates for a weekend at her family’s lake house.  I was fully expecting a rustic cabin complete with dampness and mosquitoes that bite you while you sleep.  However, as I was shaken awake (I fall asleep almost the second I get into a car,) we were pulling into the driveway of a gorgeous mansion.  My excitement over an outdoorsy adventure was quickly enveloped with a deep (and somewhat relieved) sigh.  This was going to be more like royal treatment than cooking marshmallows over a campfire.  I can’t say I was upset about it either. 

As we entered the foyer to raised ceilings, exposed beams, and pristine carpets, I quickly noticed something.  You could see a full, unobstructed view of the lake from literally anywhere in the entire house.  Vast pine trees, peaks of sunshine through their branches hit the water and made it look like glitter.  It took your breath away.  As I was given a tour of the house, I began to feel more and more at home.  Like this was somewhere I could rest and not be called lazy for it.  I was shown the master bedroom and as I grazed past the bathroom, I noticed something unusual.  The shower was encompassed by two glass walls, both which faced outside.  I couldn’t believe it… even the view from the shower was stunning.  The way the house was built made the shower almost hover out over a large hill that overlooked the lake.  The area was private, but I still would not have felt total comfortable showering in front of two windows that stretched from floor to ceiling.  Then I found out the windows were made of one-way glass.  You could see out, but nobody could see in.  Perfect.  It was just perfect.  Or at least it seemed to be.

The luster of beautiful things fades both literally and metaphorically when it cannot be seen.  Does beauty even exist if no one else experiences it?  (Kind of like that old saying: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?)  My answer: I don’t know.  I don’t know if beauty or sound or fear or whatever exists if no one is there to experience it.  But how many times do we find ourselves amidst something beautiful only to realize that we are only mesmerized temporarily by what we can “look out” at.  Do you think, perhaps, that the beauty around us was created to reflect the beauty He created IN us?  We already know that Christ died because He saw us as beautiful enough to save.  Part of that beauty in us is our freedom to love, our freedom to be seen, and our freedom to be known.  We could live our entire lives looking through one-way glass without letting anyone else see in… without letting anyone else see our vulnerability… our nakedness.  The Father enjoys our beauty, but will not take it from us.  He wants it to be OFFERED to Him.  The more we realize how beautiful we are, the less fearful we are of being seen, both by God and by others.  So let the glass be shattered my friends.  Let them in… let others and your Savior enjoy your beauty.  For as this proves, walls, even glass ones, can be deceiving. 

“And the king will desire your beauty.  Since he is your lord, bow to him.”  Psalm 45:11   

Brave

After quite a hiatus, I have returned!  The past 6-12 months have been busy, hectic, exhausting, and trying... but have also included moments filled with great joy, laughter, and gratefulness.  I am happy to say that I have completed my graduate program preparing me to become a better teacher.  All the while I have been working a new full-time job, remaining active in numerous classes/ Bible studies, continuing as a member on the worship team, and playing on a flag football team!  (And this, just to name a few things.)  The important thing to mention is not that I felt forced to take all of this on, but that I felt called to remain obedient to those things the Lord was not asking me to cut out of my life for whatever reason.  Sure, I could have made this time easier on myself, but the Lord knew the support these people and activities provided was monumental in my "making it to the end."  It was intimidating, overwhelming, and at times exhausting.  But during this time in my life, the Lord was requiring something new of me... BRAVERY.  For me this meant relying on the Lord with lots new things, and without the support and people I to which I had grown accustomed.  At the end of the day, I know life will continue to bring trials, but I feel better equipped and more confident in the Lord's ability to lead me to high land amidst rising waters.

Psalm 31:24 - "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait and hope for and expect the Lord!"

Webster defines courage as "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty."  The Lord tells us to let our hearts take courage in those things for which we do not yet have clarity.  For me, this was entering a time of fire while certain circumstances of my life caused what I knew to practically disappear in an instant.  My heart was confused and crushed and was then required to have courage?!?  It seemed nearly impossible.  However, had things gone as I would have planned, I would not have had to rely on the Lord.  I would have done things in my own power, forfeiting all the Lord had for me.  Being brave can mean different things for each person and their individual lives.  For my little buddy Henry, who is now in remission after a difficult battle with leukemia, being brave meant trusting his Jesus, parents, and doctors as he suffered from pain not understanding why.  For the single mother fighting the daily battle of raising Godly children, being brave can mean forcing yourself out of bed and taking on yet another day full of activities, work, cooking, cleaning... alone.  For the one who suffers from chronic pain with no answer or hope of relief, being brave means putting one foot after the other and making it through another day when the reality is, NO one understands how you feel.  For the one heart-broken over a fractured relationship, being brave means allowing the Lord to heal, and trusting in His character to bring light and glory to the situation.  The Lord calls us to be brave for different reasons, but it will undoubtedly cause us to become more confident in what we can do WITH God.  It can be scary, but we have no reason to fear.  He has far better things planned for us than we can even plan for ourselves (Ephesians 3:20.)  When things are tough... be brave and jump in!  The Lord is fighting for you on the front lines.