Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Beauty Inside


I heard once that the fall colors we see on deciduous trees were always present, even if green is what you see all summer long. I was thinking today about that as I drove down tree-lined streets and saw the colorful leaves drifting all around. So beautiful as the sunlight glinted off reds, purples, pinks, oranges, yellows, and their variants. And to think, all that color was waiting inside.

As the temperatures drop and the days shorten, the colors come out.

That’s how it is in our lives, as the pressures come and trials hit, our beauty can come out. You know, no matter how hard you try, what precautions you may take, you can’t avoid every hardship in life. You could live inside a proverbial bubble, but troubles will still come. (For one thing, if you don’t get out and pay that power bill, you’ll be without lights and heat. *grin*)

The colors were best displayed in the sunshine. As we hold up during trials, God is glorified. Our beauty glows in the Sonshine. And others will be drawn to Him, to worship Him and seek Him because of it. As we press on and trust Him with the season we’re in, He’ll shine through.

Trials tempt me to complain, but God is good, no matter what. And He’s working on the beauty on the inside.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Worth Turning the Page For


On October 1st, I flipped the calendar page to see gorgeous fall leaves clinging in all their red, orange and yellow splendor to a tree over a river. I can’t even remember the picture for September, the one that sat pinned to the wall for a month. This one takes over in my life now. Beauty. Color. Life. Vibrancy.

That’s how it is with life stages, too. Seasons of pain come to pass, not to stay. Gives me hope that the things I’m battling now won’t always be standing in my way.

And turning the page also brings a sense of newness. The joy of the following season won’t be affected negatively by the sorrow of this one. Good news, isn’t it?

Like those autumn leaves clinging to the tree on the calendar page, cling to Jesus. Draw your vibrancy from Him. Let Him use the season you’re in to make you beautiful. And hang on for the joy. Because one day, those leaves will all fall down, land in that river and be whisked away on the joyride of their lives.