That RADIANCE – That Glow!

That RADIANCE – That Glow!
A dear saint, my Mama, used to say to me when I felt less than pretty or RADIANT -- “Pretty is as pretty does!” Honestly that annoyed me because I could only see a freckled (often with pimples) face, brown dish-water colored hair, the skinniest, flat chested teenager in ALL THE WORLD. All my friends seemed to be have come into their own flawless selves, complete with all the curves I DIDN’T have. Even way back then, it was ALL about appearance, and MY appearance, in my opinion, sure didn’t measure up. But, THEN, came my relationship with God that soared, and that stinkin’ thinkin’ lost its priority in my life. Thank God I improved with age – in wisdom, self-esteem and realizing what true beauty was all about.

My word for today is RADIANT -- sending out light; shining or glowing brightly, characterized by good health, intense joy, happiness.

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” There are many ways to fix a girl up and make her look pretty, but it is the inner beauty that God looks for. My saintly mom really got it right when she said, “Pretty is as pretty does.” It even holds true today. It is what we do that defines us. A woman who loves, trusts and lives her life with values, standards and has a heart toward God ensures that her life is beautiful from the inside out.

A woman OR man after God’s own heart, who has deep trust and faith in Him is most grateful for God’s praises of her/him. AND, those praises from God and the inner peace and joy that come from their relationship with Him produces that RADIANCE that others are drawn to and want to know that “RADIANCE” beauty secret.

I remember, as a young bride, I would hear someone say to me, “You look RADIANT!” Again, as a mother-in-waiting for my newborn baby to arrive I’d hear “You are just glowing!" What was that glow about? It was an almost heavenly joy and thrill of great expectation,hope and happiness.

Psalm 34:5 says "Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." I've witnessed that firsthand. I’ve seen people praying or praising God and their faces shined beyond normal. When I am in prayer, there are times that I feel RADIANT. I know what it is to have had the consolation of being totally absorbed in God and forgetting about myself. I felt like I was glowing. Jesus told his disciples that “the righteous will shine like the sun” (Matthew 13:43). “Shining like the sun” is quite the SHINE, and for the most part, we are LIGHT bearers because Christ lives in us and His RADIANCE shines through us as we reach out in love to serve others, as we share His peace, joy and comfort, as we rise and SHINE and give God the glory for his goodness and His mercy.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.“

Need self-esteem? Want to be RADIANT and beautiful? “Pretty is as pretty does.” Lean into God and the closer and tighter we get to Him, we'll take on the “family” resemblance and the more beautiful and RADIANT we will be.

Renewed: From the Inside Out

My word for today is RENEWED: to make like new, restore to freshness, to make new spiritually, regenerated, revive, rebuild

I'm sure noticing many advertisements and labels that shout out “Renew your youth! Reduce those lines and wrinkles! Guaranteed success or your money back! Become a new you!” I’ll admit, I’ve yielded to their promises and purchased some of those products. I’d like to say that, as they promised, I look ten years younger from their “magic potion” – but, NOT!

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 chapter of 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. God showed Himself strong through it all. And my trust in Him grew.

The journey from youth to maturity has come quickly, but I've found that RENEWAL really is possible. It’s not the kind of renewal that’s promised in a store-bought product on a shelf or a surgeon's knife. RENEWAL begins with yielding to our Creator and letting Him RENEW us from the inside out.

To be RENEWED from the inside out is purging all those "unsightly" ways, attitudes and emotions from the inside so that our outside reflects God’s beauty. My Mom always said “Beauty is skin deep….it’s what's in your heart that makes you beautiful.” I think about Saint 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."

Inner Beauty AND Being a Masterpiece

Yesterday, in my post, I talked about divine set-ups. I like to think that God is always setting us up for divine appointments. Knowing that, we should be keeping our eyes, ears and hearts open to the possibility of those times. He sure has a way of surprising me in the middle of a routine day, with another "aha" moment. My post included the topic of "inner beauty". Then, when I looked at my Facebook "On This Day" posting from years before on my timeline, I had one of those "aha" moments because it confirmed the discussion of "inner beauty".

How appropriate for me to see that post on this day. Here's why! Have you ever started to take a photo with your cell phone and you accidentally pushed "selfie" mode and it flipped around and you got the "up close and personal" view of yourself? Whoa! I did! Who was that ole' gal looking back at me? It couldn't have been me. After all, I dolled this girl up this morning and when I looked in the mirror, it revealed only a "slightly mature" woman, but that selfie was MY mother!!! Okay, God, I get it. You wanted me to see this post because it talked about being YOUR masterpiece. It went like this:

This world will always try to make us think “we're too young or too old; not pretty enough or handsome enough; not rich enough; not thin enough; not talented enough; not smart enough!!: It's time for us to STOP listening to what the world thinks and says. There is only one voice that truly speaks truth, and that ONE is the voice of our Creator Who made us on purpose and in His image.

And He says: "You are my MASTERPIECE -- and I made you JUST RIGHT -- right for the special purposes only you can fulfill! You ARE exactly who I made you to BE! Don't look for the approval of others. I approve you, and that’s all that matters! When you look in the mirror...look at the BEAUTY I made you to be! Now, go make your Dad proud as you take your BEAUTY and make a difference in this world!!"
"You are so beautiful to Me!" -- Love, God

I like to think that when He shows up, it's up to me to give Him the recognition and the honor for the inspiration. So, today, I do, and I thank You, Father, for reminding me that I AM beautiful....inside AND out!

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised." Proverbs 31:30

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."

Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

Day 239 of Photo Inspirations -- Make Me a Channel of Your Peace
I love that song -- the lyrics are from St. Francis' Prayer that goes "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace".  That is sincerely my prayer -- to be a peacemaker AND to live in that peace.

How do we do that when the world is full of clamor and noise and so many distractions -- not to mention cranky, mean-spirited, angry, and unhappy people?

We have to MAKE peace our priority. We have to practice peace. We have to exit the room when conflict presents itself.  It really is a priority.

We can find it sitting in a peaceful scenic area, in a cozy chair, in a chapel, while rocking a sleeping baby OR in a monastery.  A monastery?  Talking about peace ON PURPOSE, I found it yesterday.  It truly is a house of prayer and peace.  I was attending a mini-retreat at St. Joseph's Monastery, but before the retreat started, I was able to visit one of my mentors and dear friend, Sister Marie Pierre.  Oh, how I love this precious saint.  After 50+ years of ministry, she retired and lives in a small space at St. Joseph's but it is everything she hoped for in this season of her life.  We made each other cry as we shared some sweet memories, but even more so about our future.... getting to graduate to heaven. We talked about how our loved ones and the saints and Jesus are cheering us on to the finish line.  I could tell she is longing for the day when she'll go home, but in the meantime, sitting at her feet, feeling God's presence and His peace all around her, and in her, is the season she is in.  God continues to use her to touch our lives.  She has MANY children -- of course, not biologically, but she sure had a hand in raising many of us in the ways we should go.

Before I left her side and headed on to the retreat, she wanted to show me her garden that many of us contributed to when she moved to St. Joseph's.  A labor of love created it for her -- the one that her labor of love touched us so much.   Her garden is her daily retreat -- the water splashing from the fountain, the serene place of peace and quiet where birds and butterflies are abundant.  It's a place of contentment, rest and PEACE.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:13.  I found Him today in the form of one of His precious daughters. She looked like Him.  She smelled like Him.  She sounded like Him.  That's because she lives with Him in such close proximity.  No wonder I left there wanting more.

"Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised."  Proverbs 31:30

The song "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace" -- is so befitting of Sister Pierre.  Oh, that we are that peace channel, too!