What was that I said about Broken Pieces?

Maybe I’m still stuck on “broken” pieces after my escapades with a broken hand figurine and Amazon (Friday post/blog). I remembered another story of a broken figurine that reminds me of the broken people in our world. After my daughter, Staci, wrote and recorded her song, “Brand New Life” which talks about how Jesus forgave the broken woman caught in the act of adultery, I gave her this figurine shown here. (This is her song which speaks of broken to brand new -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mne_vZm6SqY )

In their move to Washington from Oklahoma, the statute was broken into many pieces. She embarked on the task to put Jesus and the woman back together again, piece by piece. She literally put Jesus’ members back together again. She remarked “And this is what Jesus wants us to be doing – to “re-member” HIS broken body (the Body of Christ) by bringing us together.

I thought about the brokenness in our world right now. We need our Master Repair Man to put us back together again. It seems like a daunting task – especially in these troubled, broken times when many of God’s children are breaking each other apart with words and actions. When I say “God’s children” – those are all of mankind. They don’t all call Him Father, but He calls everyone His children. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, would not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

He’s had us in “time out” since early March and you would think, by now, that we would have learned our lessons well. But, it seems like our punishment hasn’t gotten through to us because so many are still rebellious, nasty-talking and nasty-acting out like spoiled rascals. Back to who the blame goes to -- it is the enemy of our souls whose sole aim is to break us apart, keep us apart and steal our joy, our peace, and our love for each other. We are a broken generation that needs to be repaired and our broken hearts to be mended.

Oh, but never fear – Jesus is here! He said about the Father, “He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted” (Luke 4:18). And He does that in partnership with His trustworthy and devoted-to-Him, bought-with-a-price royal children who suit-up and show up on the front lines. We are His hands extended to broken hearts to be PEACE-makers in their lives as we emulate God’s peace in our own lives. Jesus allowed His body to be broken for you and me. Isn’t it time we do everything we can to BE the Body of Christ who does everything we can to heal the brokenness in our world with His love and peace?

We Can't Judge a Dandelion by its Cover

You know those bright yellow flowers that we consider our enemy? I saw this photo and a friend’s post declaring “Dandelions are not Weeds! They build bones better than calcium, cleanse the liver and heal eczema.” Who knew? I’ve always pulled them out of my yard or had my lawn guys spray them away. But though we may not care for them growing wild in our lawns or gardens – still (if not laden with chemicals) are edible and can be used for a whole host of culinary purposes and health benefits. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says edible wild greens, like dandelion, taste good, are low in calories and are packed with vitamins. Dandelions in particular are high in calcium and vitamins A and C.

So, people spray their lawns to get rid of them, while others use them to heal their body of numerous ailments. We can learn a lot from the good found in dandelions. How many dandelions does it take to cover our entire lawn? Only one, given a little time. Ever try to get rid of dandelions? Unless we dig all the way down to the very tip of the taproot, we're not getting rid of them. They keep coming back, undefeated by our efforts to stop them.

Wow! Revelation from Heaven Central! God's creation created with purpose. And so were we! We should be like those dandelions -- knowing what we believe in and what we stand for, and hold us fast when forces try to dig us up – defeat us, discourage us, and wipe us out -- knowing “tough times don’t last – but tough dandelions and tough people do”. Dandelions grow everywhere: cracks in sidewalks, middle of lawns --- its seeds land and they grow and bloom. That should be us. Wherever we are and whatever the situation, we can grow and thrive. We need to be as stubborn as dandelions with our faith – unwavering, relentless, and committed to never giving up.

We cannot ignore dandelions. Their bright yellow color screams at us to either weed them out and now we know the health benefits so they'll scream at us to eat them! We'll never ignore them again! They’re unabashedly, loudly here. They are relentless. They teach us to not let the haters get us down. Some people curse dandelions as a weed and try to take them out, but they keep coming back. And, we need to know what and WHO we stand for so we can be as resilient and single-focused as the dandelion. We just keep coming back.

Maybe it’s time we become dandelion-minded. God put us here for a reason and while others might see us as nothing more than an irritating weed, God sees us as His daughters and sons and He endowed us with abilities and strengths to conquer and overcome whatever comes our way. Inside of us are prayers to be prayed, songs to be sung, books to be written, words of encouragement to be given to others to heal their hearts and souls, ideas that can change the course of history. So go ahead, be as stubborn as a dandelion and never quit. Just be the best dandelion (YOU) that you can possibly be and let your bright colors of God’s grace and love shine through you.