But...I Wanted to Be the Tall, Red Tree!

I know what you're thinking..."What's she talking about now??"

Well, I'll tell you.

Recently, the head of our girls' dormitory was giving us a pep talk by comparing the trees of autumn to each of us as individuals.
Seeing as how I'm writing about it, it obviously made an impact on me.

I mean, think about it...

If you take just a moment to look around, you'll easily see that no two people are just alike:
God made us all different, and He did it on purpose.

The colors of sizes of the trees in autumn are the same way-no two are exactly alike!

I love it that way! The short trees make the tall trees look majestic, while the tall trees help the short ones look cute! The red, orange, and brown trees provide a beauty that is only seen this time of year, while the slower-changing green trees give variety to the bright colors.

The variety of the trees of autumn causes us to appreciate them more! 

So...why can't we look at ourselves that way...?

Seriously, surely I'm not the only one who's ever desired to be taller, shorter, thinner, smarter, or whatever. 

And I couldn't be alone in thinking...

"If only I were as pretty as..."

Or, "She is so talented. I wish I could ______ like her."

Or how about, "She has such a way with people! Why can't I be like that?" 

And all the while that we pick ourselves apart for what we're not, we are missing out on our true potential. 

God didn't make me a tall red tree or a small green bush-He made me a short, brown tree. 

He doesn't want me to compair myself-and He doesn't want you to do that, either!

Maybe you're a great tree for climbing, or maybe you are perfect for providing shade.

Maybe you have a squirrel in your trunk, or maybe there's a nest in your branches.

Regardless of how you were made, please, please, learn to appreciate that God made you unique on purpose!!!

Whether you're a natural-born leader, or the shy girl who puts encouraging notes under your friends' door, God can and wants to use you! 

Maybe you have an amazing singing voice, or maybe you have the ability to make people feel good about themselves! 

You might be super creative, or your may be great at organizing. 

But whether or not your talents and abilities seem valuable to you, realize they are a gift from God, and allow them to be used for His glory! 

Help the one who struggles with that which you are good at. 

Praise your friend who got the "A", and feel satisfied knowing that you gave your best. 

After all, God made you He knows what your "best" is-and He requires no more of you than that! 

We should give Him glory when we see the unique beauty He gives the trees in autumn...

...and we should give Him even more glory as we learn to appreciate the unique inward and outward beauty which He has given each of us :)

Psalm 139:14 "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well." 

It's a Jungle in There!!

At my home, I have a flower garden that I love taking care of each Summer.
There is something about seeing God's beautiful creation that just makes me smile. :-)

But unfortunately, with the flowers come weeds.

This year, lots of them....

See, in the day-to-day busyness of life, I was not finding (or making) time to go and weed my flower bed. 

So the weeds multipled and grew over several weeks-though it was seemingly over-night-until my precious flower bed looked like some type of jungle!! (Seriously, I could've collected money for people to go an a safari through my flower garden..)

Though I knew pulling the weeds was something I needed to find time for, it had grown into such a huge task that I found myself putting it off...

Again...

and again...

while the weeds continued to grow. 

Finally, I had to plan a time to tackle the weeds (and I was blessed to have a brother jump in and help me!!)
What could've, would've, and should've originally been a quickly and easy job, turned into back-breaking work that lasted for several hours!! (Okay, okay-no backs were actually broken in the weeding of my garden. ;p)

And guess what I found in my flower garden after pulling out all the weeds??
(Are you ready for this..?)

Flowers!!!

Funny thing is, the flowers had been there all along, but I just couldn't see them.

And at this point you've probably either stopped reading this post, or you're wondering where on earth I'm going with this story...

So bear with me while I give this story a spiritual application:

In life, we all have "weeds" (sin) that occasionally grow in our garden of life.
Weeds like; envy, selfishness, bitterness, laziness, anger, etc, etc, etc...

At first, we don't even notice one or two weeds.
'Cause a couple of weeds aren't a big deal, right?
But the more we put off dealing the the sin in our life, the more it grows,

and grows...

and grows.

Until before we know it, it has spread throughout every area of our life!
Just like weeds, the longer we wait to deal with the sin in our own lives, the harder it is to get rid of it!

And in the meantime?

We miss all the flowers-the blessings- that God has put into our lives!

So why not pull those weeds before your garden starts looking like mine did?

And if it's already a jungle in there, don't be discouraged! Just buckled down and get the job done! (It helps if you have a brother who will pull weeds with you ;))

It is work, but I promise it will be worth it when you start noticing the blessing of God again.

After all, I like flowers. :)

Don't you?

Just My... Luck??

A couple weeks ago, while spending some time outside, I asked The Lord to give me a four-leaved clover (random, I know, but I wanted one!!).
I searched through different patches of clover for a while, with my hopes high that I would find a four-leaved at any moment.

But I was dissapointed.

"That's okay, God." I said after no success, "It wasn't a big deal."
And I subconsciously thought what most of us would probably think after such an instance:
"What a dumb thing to pray for. Of course, God has better things to do than give me four-leaved clovers!"  
To be honest, I guess I kind of felt like apologizing for even bothering Him with something so small.

After all, He's too busy for the silly, little, insignificant things in our lives....right?

Two days later, I went to my church to help decorate for an upcoming graduation.
I entered the room that was to be decorated, flipped on the light, and noticed a piece of trash on the floor across the room.
I walked closer to the trash and knelt to pick it up, but my hand froze and I did a double-take as I realized what this "trash" truly was; on the floor was a dark green clover.
I didn't want to pick it up for fear that it would turn out to be just a three-leaved, and I would be disappointed. I held my breath as I examined it closer.

One, two, three....four. Four leaves!!

Coincidence? I think not.

I could hardly believe it! It was exactly what I had prayed for two days ago, and I really hadn't thought about it since.
My heart suddenly felt felt flooded with the love of God, and I was once again humbled as He reminded me how much He truly cares!

Why should an all-powerful God make time to answer my prayers? Especially those silly, little, unimportant things that make no difference to anyone but me?

I mean, for me, who so often doesn't give Him the time He deserves.
Me, who hurts Him.
Me, who lets Him down more often than I'd like to think.
Though I do truly love Him, I feel like I often fail at showing it!
Yet my God, my sweet, caring, gentle, merciful, loving Father, takes time for the little things.
He loves me unconditionally!
He put a stupid little clover on the floor-that I'd forgotten I'd even prayed for-just to put a smile on my face!!!

How many times do we fail to pray for little things because we think God doesn't care?
How often do we stop asking Him for big things because we think He will not answer?

Friend, don't be afraid to pray about anything and everything! He is waiting to answer! 

Finding a clover on the floor was not just my luck (trust me, being a "lucky" person is not something I'm known for! Haha!), it was so much more than that; it was an answer to prayer, and a reminder of how crazy God is about me!!

After all, I'm His favorite!!!

Oh, and by the way...you're His favorite, too. :-)

Lessons from a Real Hero

A dear man, my Grandpa Elvin, passed away this last Monday. Though he was often a man of few words, he taught not only with what he said, but also with his actions. A quick overview of his impact in my life showed me several things:

1. Heroes often go unnoticed.

Cartoon heroes can be found everywhere; in comic books, the toy aisle, coloring books, TV shows, and even on cereal boxes! Everyone in their stories knows when they have saved the day because the hero is instantly cheered for, praised, and rewarded. These heroes are dynamic, flashy, "perfect" characters who are easily recognized. 

But real heroes don't look that way.

If the casual observer saw my grandpa Elvin in his last years, watching birds, talking about sports, or taking it easy in his recliner, they probably would not have said to themselves, "There sits a hero."

However, the casual observer would have been wrong.

My grandpa served his country in WWII after he was drafted into the war. He left behind his pregnant wife to put his life on the line for our freedom. As a result, he suffered a nearly fatal gunshot in the stomach, and also saw many of his friends die in combat.

Of course, the casual observer would not have know any of this.

The world today puts more weight on appearance and talent rather than character. Crowds gather and give praise to a singer for his voice, and actors are idolized for their faces and "talent" of pretending. Sadly, these are the "heroes" of many people today. 

However, true heroes are those serve and go about their day-to-day lives with little to no recognition for their deeds; they don't get their own tv shows, actions figures, or cereal boxes. They are found in in combat, fighting house fires, keeping citizens safe, or giving the Gospel on foreign missions fields. They are those who are willing to give up their own lives-both figuratively and literally-for the sake of someone else. 

So don't judge a book by its cover. Like my grandpa, everyone has a story, and if we would just take the time to leave our world and enter someone else's, we might be surprised what we could learn from them.

2. You're only as old as you feel.

My grandpa lived to be 94, however, his seemingly sudden health decline and home-going managed to take me a little by surprise! Why? Because he never acted 94, so I never thought of him that way!

The precious memories I have of my grandpa Elvin are of a happy man, full of laughter and life. He was a kind, light-hearted man who always had a joke to tell or something witty to say! (He often teased my brothers by turning his age around and telling them he was only 49!)

I don't recall ever hearing him complain about his health, age, or...anything! So I say to those of us who are still young and able-bodied; what do we have to complain about? God is good, and you're only as old as you feel!

And lastly, but perhaps most importantly:

3. He taught me something about God's love.

My Grandpa Elvin was technically not related to me by blood-my dad's dad passed away before I was born, and my dad's mom re-married my grandpa Elvin.

Of course, as a child, I didn't know that, but even after I learned of this, it didn't make a  difference to me.

Why?

Because my grandpa Elvin never treated my siblings and I any differently than his own blood-related grandchildren. He always received our presence with a smile and a hug, and he loved to have us around and spend time with us. (Bless his heart-he tried very hard to keep all 11 of our names straight!)

His love for me and my siblings was obvious.

Reflecting on this caused me to think of the love God has for me (as well as all His children).

He accepts us each as we are, from the moment He adopts us into His family.
He does not treat one child any better than another.
He always welcomes our presence when we approach His throne in prayer, and He loves when we spend time with Him! (And despite His large number of children, He can still keep our names straight! ;) )

His love for us is obvious, if we will just take the time to notice it!

Convicted yet? Don't worry, I was too.

Grandpa Elvin lived a full life, and I felt that the lessons he taught me should be shared with others. Yes, I miss him, as does the rest of my family. But, my grandpa has a clear testimony of salvation, and heaven is closer than we think. With that in mind, we don't have to say goodbye, just, "See ya later." :,)