Different Yet Perfect

I was very surprised to receive three beautiful flower arrangements for my birthday. I don’t believe I have ever received so many flowers at one time. I felt special and loved for sure!

The first arrangement was a simple bouquet of white daisies. My husband knows that daisies are my favorite flower and that I love a bouquet that looks like it was picked straight from the garden. The arrangement was perfect!

 

The second arrangement was another bouquet of white daisies, but it also included carnations and roses in the most perfect shade of pink. My son and daughter-in-law know that daisies are my favorite flower, that I also love pink roses and that the smell of carnations bring back happy childhood memories. The arrangement was perfect!

 

The third arrangement also included white daisies but with bright yellow daisies mixed in. My father-in-law and stepmother-in-law know that I love daisies and bright colors. Of course, the bright yellow color makes me feel happy as it reminds me of the sunshine. The arrangement was perfect!

 

All three bouquets were different, yet all three bouquets were absolutely perfect! I couldn’t have chosen a favorite. They each had distinct qualities that made them special.

 

The beautiful arrangements sitting on my desk reminded me of each of us. We are all the same in that we are created in God’s image, but at the same time, we are all different. We each have a different combination of physical features, personalities, gifts and talents. Each of us is God’s unique creation. We are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). He designed each of us exactly how He wants us. His work is absolutely perfect!

 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

~Psalm 139:13-16

A Season of Gray Hairs and Discipline

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. ~Proverbs 16:31 ESV

On March 21st I will celebrate my 49th birthday. The years have flown by fast, and I have no clue how I can already be so close to turning 50. I’m not the type of person who is bothered by age but rather a person who feels blessed to be alive another year. I quit coloring my hair over 10 years ago because I felt that’s what God wanted for me personally (Lord, please don’t ask me to give up my make-up even though it really does take up too much of my time each morning). My white hairs have rapidly multiplied over the past few years, but I have proudly earned every single one of them through this most recent (and trying) season of life!

Although growing old doesn’t send me over the edge or keep me grasping to hold on to my youth, it has caused me to spend quite a bit of time reflecting on my life. Why am I always too busy? Why am I so tired? Why am I so disorganized? Am I doing anything that is making any sort of difference? Am I wasting whatever precious time I have left…. I’m sad to say that if you were to read my journals, you would find that I have been on a quest to find the “B word” (BALANCE) for close to 15 years. So, this year I decided it is time to get serious; I’m tired of my mess. Continue reading “A Season of Gray Hairs and Discipline”