Week Nine - Your True Colors

A few years ago, while on a little trip to the island of Jersey, I read Gift From the Sea by Anne Marrow Lindbergh, the wife of Charles Lindbergh. I thought it would be a book on reflections by the sea, but it was more about women's liberation. But even with that, I found some things that caused me to think and examine myself, and I wanted to share a bit with you.

A post I had saved earlier, the one you see on this blog, prompted my thoughts. It reads, "You know who you are. You know your true colors. Don't let anyone paint you differently." By M.W. Facets 

This post struck me because, at that time, I faced accusations about my character that left me questioning myself. Was I stubborn? Was my directed lifestyle coming over as unswerving or unkind? I had to do some soul-searching and come before the Lord. He did not condemn me. He knows my heart and sent me that little quote to encourage me.

I am not perfect, but I am not stubborn or unkind. My true colors? I never really thought of that and wasn't even sure what that meant.

As a young girl, my favorite color was pink, and I still secretly love it—secretly because my young friends laughed when I told them. So what did I do? Did I remain true to my color? Nope. I switched to blue because no one laughed at blue. I like blue. It was my grandmother's favorite color, but inside, I'm still in love with pink, yet maybe I've grown into blue?

Anyway, I let them paint me differently. And where am I today? Still saying blue is my favorite color. And I'm okay with that, but when someone tries to make me out to be something I'm not - stubborn, hard to approach, etc. or even on the flip-side - talented, wise, beautiful. I cringe and reject those words because they do not describe the me I know and live with.

You know who you are. Don't you? Do I? I'm smarter than some and sillier than others. Decent to look at when my hair cooperates but desperately old when the wind blows. Happy and fun sometimes to a fault, but Germanly-serious at times. I'm stable but random. Curious but lazy. Patient but anxious to finish. A complete conundrum of osculating interpretations. Leaving or restricting the definition of who I am to an evaluation of self alone is inadequate and a misinterpretation, for though I am all these jumble of things, I have one true star, one laminin that holds me together - Christ.

Because in Him, all my contradictions find purpose. They are all level at the cross. I no longer need to explore my color because it has been given over to a new one—a new life—a crucified life that defines and colors me perfectly. This one whitewash is enough, and seen through its lens, I am perfect, complete, and whole.

Friend, I hope your true color is Christ, for His is the color of royalty. We are children of the King, and one day, we will stand before Him dressed in white linen - pure and holy. That is our true color.

Week Eight - Bottomless Bowls

Spurgeon said, "We bring bowls to the altar that have no bottoms, and if the treasure should be put in them, it would fall through."

That's crazy imagery. But he's talking about prayer.

We hold up our bowl (prayer) to God, but because we have no idea what we need or our prayers are so general that they have no substance, the bowl is bottomless. If God were to give us a treasure, we would not be able to hold it.

We do not ask for what we truly need; we resist opening our necessities before the Lord, thinking we pray selfishly. I've even heard people say, "I should never pray for myself." That's foolish. Who better to pray for than the one you know most and know the necessity or need? God wants to hear from you and about you because He loves you.

If you come to prayer thinking you can hide your needs or sins from God, that is also foolish. He knows your needs and sees your fears and even your sins. There is no reason to fear talking with Him about these things. Honesty puts a bottom in your bowl, making it possible to lift your hands for mercy and find that grace to help in times of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Spurgeon says, "See thyself as bankrupt, weak, sick, dying, and this will make thee plead. See thy necessities deep as the ocean, broad as the expanse of heaven. This will make thee cry. There will be no restraining of prayer, beloved when we have a due sense of our soul's poverty; but because we  think we are rich and increased in goods, and we have need of nothing, therefore it is that we restrain prayer before God."

So, pray for yourself, your needs, fears, and concerns. Humble yourself and recognize that you need spiritual treasure from Him - come with that errand, and He will answer. And pray for others. Be that intercessor, that warrior fighting with bold faith, and your prayers won't be bottomless.

"We fail in prayer when we come without an errand, not having thought of what our necessities are," Spurgeon says, But "if we have reckoned up that we need pardon, justification, sanctification, preservation; that besides the blessing of this life, we need that our decaying graces should be revived. . . then coming with an errand we should speed before the Most High."

Friend, come before the throne ready and prepared to receive. Don't come without an errand. Come with a purpose, a holy reverence, and an honest desire to hear from God and receive from His hand.

Week Seven - Love's Challenge

I'm from the era when movies ended happily ever after, where families on TV portrayed healthy interaction, things always worked out for good, and childhood innocence was protected. 

Today, these things are seen as naive or too simple, not the honesty of life. Instead, we are bombarded with harsh realities, family breakdowns, expected failure, and open exploitation. How can we love those around us when evil lurks at every corner and the cold realities of life invade?

I guess it depends on where you begin. If you look at this world from where it is, things look bleak. But if you take your stance using the eyes of Christ, love is still challenging, but He makes it possible.

In Luke 6, Jesus gives us a lesson. "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other, and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."

Isn't that a challenge? To love those who hate you, pray for those who talk bad about you, and give to the undeserving? To enact the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

This is not the teaching of the world. This is the teaching of Christ and the expectation of every believer. It is the challenge of genuine Christian love. 

Christ continues His lesson with two more phrases we should seriously consider. Luke 6:35 says, "For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." What? Be kind to those who are ungrateful and downright evil? Yes! God is good to all, even the undeserving. And then, Christ tells us why. "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36). 

Merciful? Yes! Love's challenge is remembering God's mercy showered upon us through Christ and then being examples and conductors of that mercy to others. 

How can that be done without showing love and patience to others? If they do not see love and mercy coming from us, how can we say we are lifting up Christ before them? What is the challenge of love if we only love ourselves and our own? The world does that much. (Luke 6:32-34) As a matter of fact, sometimes they outdo us in showing mercy. Let's not be guilty of failing to follow Christ's example. 

Let's accept the challenge and see if God doesn't use us to soften the harsh realities of life through the spreading of His Word and the use of His loving servants to a world desperately in need of Him.

Week Six - Overlooking the Madness

Only a few weeks into 2025, and we already have huge tracts of land in California burnt to a crisp. The homes of celebrities gone up in the fire, people without jobs due to the devastation, the folks in North Carolina struggling with the cold, Florida covered in snow, a huge shift with the change of leadership in the USA, and a host of other disasters and political turmoil around the world. Who could ever say life is boring?

The madness of the world around us is enough to keep our heads spinning and our hearts full of anxiety, except for one overriding truth - God is still in control.

That might sound simplistic, but it is not. It is the foundation of our faith and the truth to which all will answer. We may find it hard to reconcile ourselves with God knowing about all this madness and seemingly doing little about it, but then, we have only to look back at history and realise this earth has always been mad, but that does not deter God from His appointed purpose or promise and the foretold end of all things.

To be angry with God or question Him is futile. Spurgeon writes, "All forces are at God's disposal from the heavenly lightning and thunder, hurricanes and tornadoes, down to pestilence of worms, flies, and caterpillars, all are at His command. To war against Him is madness, and to serve Him is glory."

The eyes of faith overlook the world's madness to the eternal promises of God. He will never destroy the earth by flood. He will never leave or forsake us. His thoughts toward us are for good, and He will remain faithful to His Word until the end. Doesn't that sound like a less stressful place compared to the madness around us?

The world is spinning to its end; there is no doubt about that. Every day brings us closer to the return of Christ, and our part is not to flay about in fear and anxiety but to be prepared and watching. Pin your hope and trust in God, and everything else falls into better perspective.

Be about your Father's business while it is yet day, that is His instruction to us. God knows all that's happening, and He is still in control!