Monday, June 25, 2012

Glory In The Flaws!


Ok...All of us have experienced a broken heart at one time or another. As children, we experience pain but mostly in simple ways; as adults, our hearts are tested through trials and many times our heart can feel shattered, or maybe even crushed down to the deepest part of our soul.
Surely we can ALL understand how the psalmist (David) felt when he wrote, “I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded deep down inside me (Psalm 109:22).”
So what do you do when your heart is broken? When things aren't what you had hoped for – When it truly seems as if your dreams have crumbled? You know...when LIFE happens.
Your heart may grow weak, but for those who know Christ as Savior...God is your strength. He really is everything you ever need (Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever). So what does this MEAN? Well it means this: God stands ready to help those who need it (Psalm 109:31)! I love that! I love that His Word is true, real, ALIVE and active! God's not sitting back like the rest of us, easily distracted, overwhelmed by our brokenness. So thankful that I serve a God who stands ready to help in time of need. 
What lead to this blog is the following . . . I noticed something on a friend's facebook page today. I'm familiar with both the quote and the process . . . (Although the owner/author of the quote was misrepresented; this quote is actually attributed to artist, Barbara Bloom) 
“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold.  They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful.” -Barbara Bloom
I love when the Lord speaks to me through others. Let's be real here...I love when the Lord speaks to me ANYTIME or place, but it's STILL amazing to me, how He can and does find ways within my daily routine to grab my attention.

I'm a chic who looks things up; even if I know "what it means" I like having the definition in front of me so there's NO misunderstanding or communication. So check this out . . . 

Aggrandize means to make great or greater in power, wealth, rank, or honor — to enhance the power, reputation or position of. The broken object is repaired with a precious substance which enhances its strength and purpose. In the Japanese culture this means, the repair (the evidence of the brokenness) magnifies the beauty of the object.
In your brokenness, give God permission and freedom to put your heart back together.  PLEASE STOP AND TAKE NOTE HERE...you MUST...MUST give the Lord permission to do His work. We serve a God who can do ANYTHING, but has given us free will. This means exactly what the old saying says...you literally have to "Let go, and Let God."
Here's the COOLEST part of all...He's ready to do this with every resource available in heaven at His disposal. Did you get that? No...seriously. Read that again. He's ready to help you with every resource available in heaven at His disposal. As His Spirit and Truth is used to fill in the damage, you'll become even more beautiful and valuable to Him. Your brokenness doesn’t scare God at all. *stops to do a MAJOR happy dance* LOL In fact, His desire is to bring people into your life, bring TRUTH to your heart and bring praise to your lips to help repair the damage! If somebody doesn't get up and shout His praises right now . . . MAN that's good stuff!!!!!  
Don’t minimize His power. Don’t diminish His authority. Exalt His power in your life and become the beautiful person He's intended you to be. So...stop it. That's right. Stop it! The more you get in His way, walking around like you control things or feeling sorry for yourself the LONGER it's going to take! TRUST ME...I've been around the mountain 5,642 times and the only thing that changed was the people I passed along the way. 
I'm 41 . . . and I'm FINALLY getting it. I actually didn't realize how much the Lord has healed me until seeing my friend's post and reflecting a bit (which obviously led to this blog). So cool when the Lord reveals things and we have REAL revelation. 



Now that I'm allowing for the process . . . I get to look and be more fabulous. Thank you, Father for taking the clay and adding some serious "bling" . . . y'all know how I feel about fashionable flourish. 


Decide to let go today...trade ashes for Glory. It's just so much more attractive. ;)







Monday, February 27, 2012

When "Giving Good Face" Was Enough

After watching the Oscars last night (primarily for the fashion - and I DO think a great many of the ladies 'got it right' last night) . . . still . . . I can't help but grumble from the back seat of the car while, Madonna's "Vogue" plays from the speakers. . . are we there yet?


How is it that someone like, Madonna can express my thoughts better than I? Well, let's revisit a handful of lyrics from her (what seems like a gazillion years ago) 90's hit . . . 


Greta Garbo and Monroe
Deitrich and DiMaggio
Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean
On the cover of a magazine

Grace Kelly, Harlow, Jean
Picture of a beauty queen
Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire
Ginger Rogers, dance on air

They had style, they had grace
Rita Hayworth gave good face
Lauren, Katherine, Lana too
Bette Davis, we love you

Ladies with an attitude
Fellows that were in the mood
Don't just stand there, let's get to it
Strike a pose, there's nothing to it . . . 


After watching someone as beautiful as Angelina (despite the fact that she could stand to put on about 15 lbs) purposefully push her leg from her Versace gown 263 times, and Jennifer and Cameron pull a stunt like they did on stage during the show (you know, where it wasn't enough that everyone was already staring at them being center stage - they had to go the EXTRA mile in an attempt to 'be cute')  . . . ? 

I can't help but wonder how FAR are WE are willing to go on this ride, and with THESE people before we just scream at the top of our lungs, "Stop! I want out of the car! I'll walk from here. Thank you."

That's really all I have to say about any and all of it . . . As a final thought, I put together a really quick collage of some power-house ladies who were so fabulous and elegant they didn't need an actual production/stunt to create a buzz . . . 

I'm not sure how I can miss an era in which even my parents were mere babies  . . . OR if anyone will offer me a ride after demanding to walk the rest of the way . . . but at this point I'm pretty sure the only car I'm ready to hitch a ride from would be if the DeLorean scooted by . . .


"Angelina Jolie's leg gets it's own twitter page?" ...um...ok http://fashionista.com/2012/02/angelina-jolies-right-leg-gets-its-own-twitter-account-becomes-an-internet-sensation/