Renewed: From the Inside Out

Renewed: From the Inside Out

Okay….so I’m in that mature season where it seems I'm noticing a lot of those advertisements and labels that shout out “Renew your youth! Reduce those lines and wrinkles! Guaranteed success or your money back! Become a new you!” And, I’ll admit, I’ve yielded to their promises and purchased some of those products. I’d like to tell you that, as they promised, I look ten years younger…..NOT!

A few years ago, my curiosity about halting the inevitable, got the best of me and I went to a plastic surgeon for a consultation. Okay. I’m being real. LOL! Staci went with me and when the doctor started stretching my skin and it looked “baby smooth”, she hollered “OH MY GOODNESS!” Quickly I said, “Don’t act so excited. When you’re looking for a new car to buy, you don’t act so SOLD. You need to work the salesman to get the best deal.” But, too late, she already gave away that I’d look 10 years younger if I’d let him do his wonders on me. His $25K estimate helped me to conclude “I’m okay with this vintage look!”

Really, the truth is I AM okay with my age, and I’m okay with these lines that seemed to have come from nowhere...quickly. I’ve earned every line and crease with every story I’ve lived. Those stories make up who I am. And I wouldn’t trade my stories, and my years, for anything. I’ve lived long enough now to see, even the tough years — the ones I didn’t think I’d survive — how God used every one and every experience to bring me to a place of deep assurance and sweet peace today. Through it all, God showed Himself stronger. And my trust in Him grew. The journey from youth to maturity has come quickly. But this journey with God has taught me that renewal really is possible, but it’s not the kind of renewal that’s promised in a store-bought product on a shelf or a surgeon's knife. Restoration and renewal begins with yielding to our Creator…..and letting Him renew us from the inside out.

Yesterday, my post was about cleaning up, cleaning out, AND cleaning in…..purging from the inside so that our outside reflects His beauty. My Mom always said “Beauty is skin deep….it’s what's in your heart that makes you beautiful.” I think about Mother Teresa. She had more wrinkles than anyone, but at 85 she was younger and more vibrant than a 20-year old, as she loved and cared for hurting humanity. From the inside out....she was extraordinarily beautiful.

When we realize WE ARE BEAUTIFUL, because the marvelous, exquisitely beautiful ONE lives in us, and when we embrace THAT BEAUTY and let it shine through our eyes, speak through our mouths, hug with our arms, love with the love of Christ, then we will be renewed and the fountain of youth will be flowing out of us to a hurting world.

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Bearing Fruit in Old Age

Day 61 of Photo Inspirations:  Bearing Fruit in Old Age
Yesterday I went for my weekly visit to see Mom and my great niece.  On Mondays, the youngest member of the family (20-months old), Mom's great granddaughter, pays her  a visit.  It's always such a special time to see these two together.  Mom's name is Lydia; Anna Lydia is little sweetie pie's name.  It was such a beautiful tribute for my nephew and his wife to name her after the two grandmothers. But, most importantly, Mom has Anna in her life.  Actually, I think Anna has caused Mom to hit the "reset" button, and she's getting additional years added to her life. Mom loves this little girl so much.  There isn't a conversation with her, that she doesn't talk about Anna and her latest antics or words or actions.  No question, she was a gift to Mom at this stage of her life.

At 92, Mom is proof positive that it's possible to flourish in old age. At any given time, you can walk in her home, and she's sitting at her kitchen table, reading her Bible or praying.  The only weekly outings she has are Wednesday prayer service and Sunday church, and to get her hair done.   Quite frankly, she's younger than a lot of young people I know.  She has a "can do" attitude.    Her white hair and taking-it-slower-when-she-walks would tell you otherwise, but she is flourishing in heart and spirit.  

Psalm 92:12 "The righteous will flourish like palm trees;  they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the Lord’s Temple, they will flourish in the courtyard of our God. They will STILL BEAR FRUIT IN OLD AGE;  they will be luxuriant and green."  

Thank God there are no age limits to His promises. Thank God that His Word says “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me ALL the days of my life...”  This is MY "Maturity Plan".  It is a plan based on His promises and bearing fruit for Him.  

Some look forward to the rocking chair. I look forward to new adventures with God. Some look forward to relaxing at the beach and letting the younger generation pick up the torch.  I look forward to standing beside the younger generation on the front lines of battle and cheering them on, trusting God to keep renewing my strength. Though we continue to "ripen and mature" on a daily basis, our inner man is being renewed day by day! The best way to grow old is to stay young on the inside. The best way to stay young on the inside is to stay on the front lines of faith in God and loving others -- serving this generation with vigor and vitality.  By the way, THIS generation is EVERYONE that is still alive.  Yes, this IS the Fountain of Youth!

Drink This Water and You'll Never Thirst Again

Day 10 of 365 days of photo inspirations:
IT'S FREEZING in Texas -- and as Alexia and I made our way home from the store, our attention was drawn to the freezing water surrounding this beautiful waterfall in her neighborhood -- not a usual sight for Texas, which we associate with warmth -- not frigid cold.  But, nevertheless, as cold as it is outside, we need water on the inside.  

Water is our body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of our body weight. Every system in our body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to our cells, and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when we don't have enough water in our body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain our energy and make us tired.

Every day we lose water through our breath, perspiration, and other body functions.   For our body to function properly, we must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.  Medical reports state that we need at least 2 liters of water a day.

There are so many scriptures in the Bible about living water, flowing water, and my inspiration today was about the water that is thirst quenching.
  
John 4:14 "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never be thirsty again." and  Isaiah 58:11 "And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

Throughout history there have always been those who looked for the easy way to find the "fountain of youth" or a miracle water that would provide success, fulfillment, and happiness.    But most of this searching is in vain. … it is only this ‘living water,’ that water that never runs dry when we allow Him to quench our thirst.  People really do have a great spiritual thirst.  They crave a cool, satisfying drink of insight and knowledge that will soothe their parched souls. Their spirits cry out for life-sustaining experiences of peace and calm to nourish and enliven their withering hearts.

I invite you, today, to meet the GIVER of that living water.  The woman at the well was looking for water that couldn't satisfy her soul.  That H20 only provided temporary satisfaction.  But I love the outcome of that story because she met up with the TRUTH in human flesh Who revolutioned her life:  He said,  "Everyone who drinks this water (H20) will be thirsty again" but "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" (John 4:14). In accepting that TRUTH, she shifted from everyday life to everlasting life.  Excuse me....must be about my day, but I'm thirsty, so I'm taking a drink of that living water!