Did You Have a Fuzzy-Haired Doll?

Yesterday morning in church I sat two rows behind a woman I see weekly. I don’t know her, but I can’t help noticing the “fuzzy” look to her hair – like that of a baby doll that’s been loved on a little too much, one that’s been held, slept with, played with, one who’s hair has been brushed and shampooed repeatedly. Immediately my mind went to the picture of a young girl holding her favorite doll, stroking its hair, smiling at her with a reassuring look that said no harm would come to her and she’d never abandon her for a newer, flashier toy.

The woman’s smile always catches my attention. There’s something special about it; smiles sometimes betray our heart. I’m never quite sure what’s just beyond the curl of her lips, it could be the extremely happy heart of God’s Princess that is loved beyond measure; her silent testimony of His love. It could be her expression to say, “Hello, I’d love to be your friend.” It could be the face she wants us to see instead of the one with tear stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes from personal sorrows. Sunday morning I found myself wanting to approach her and feel her hair, to smooth in with my own hand, like she was my own little girl, as I believe God does every day.

Can she be loved too much? No. But I want to know her, simply because Jesus does, and He loves her every minute of every hour of every day, just as He loves me.

Keeping my hands to myself, I’ve purposed in my heart – that next Sunday morning I’ll meet her face to face, smile to smile.

“When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.” ~ Job 29:24 (NIV)

Sisters VS Friends

“Friends are the sisters I picked out for myself” – that’s what it says on my new favorite mug, and I love it! My precious friend gave it to me in a restaurant the other day and her son told me to pour my soda into it. Always one to oblige a child when I can, I did. The waitress loved the mug, too. Since then I’ve enjoyed coffee, tea and even chicken noodle soup from this big, meaningful mug. Another incredible friend gave me a mug that reads, “God is using you for His special purpose – to shine His light, to share His love, to shape His people.” What an awesome revelation to take to heart. God uses all of my sisters and friends this way, whether they know it or not.

The ladies are my friends and they’re also my sisters.

Sister vs friends: You sometimes get mad at your sisters, but then, that happens with your friends on occasion, too. Friends are there for you – when you let them know you need them, but yes, sisters are, too. Sisters were born into your family, but friends just prove that families grow. You discover new things about your friends all the time, but there are mysteries about your sisters you need to find out about, too. Some friends come in and go out of your life, but sisters can choose to do so, too. Sisters confide their secrets into your secret-keeping vault, but if you couldn’t do this with your friends, too, they probably wouldn’t be your friend for long. Friends can betray you, but so can sisters. Friends love you like sisters!

Is there a difference between sisters and friends? I will argue, no. No discernable difference at all. (Who knows, maybe one of your parents has a secret and your best friend is even your sister by birth!)

Proverbs 18:24 tells us in part, “…there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”  I’m going to feminize that and tell you there is a friend that sticks closer than a sister… God has blessed me with some of these amazing treasures and they’re worth more to me than gold. Thank you to all my sisters and friends for being there with me and for me in this journey called life! I love you all!



One Little Revelation

‘Being’ love is easier than ‘doing’ love. When love makes up who we are, how can it be hard to love someone?

Food for thought, apply it somewhere if you can:

‘He came into my life disguised as a man with a past. Should I have been able to tell? Should I have recognized him? Now I see he wasn’t simply the man I thought he was. But then, it’s only revelation when you’re the one it’s revealed to.’

This short story has brought me one step closer to being a truly loving person.

Jesus said, ‘What you do unto the least of these, you do unto Me.’ (Matthew 25:31-46) Did He mean: when you love the least of these, you love Me? At this point in my life I add yet another layer of knowledge and wisdom to my repertoire as I apply this revelation to the disguised man that came into my life to expose God’s truth to me, though in reality, he doesn’t know God at all.

Who are ‘the least of these’? Perhaps they are the people we would be least likely to choose to rub elbows with, the ones we look away from when, suddenly, there they are right in front of us, without warning.

Might God choose to visit us in their skin?

Years ago, I heard God say to me, ‘Would you still love me if I was ugly?’ I heard this while looking at a poorly made wall hanging of Jesus with a flock of sheep. The person who made the hanging clearly took little pride in their work. The Jesus looked like a Star Trek alien, and not a pretty one.

Can I look beyond my reservations to see God in every human soul I encounter?

Do you hear me wrestle when I blog?

Thanks For The Love!

(imgkids.com)

While helping my daughter move I got to know one of her friends a little better. She’s a precious young woman, strong and tender, fun and gracious. But only having met her once before, I asked myself, ‘Why do I love her so much?’ As quickly as I asked myself the question, the answer came rushing to the forefront of my mind, ‘Because she loves my child so dearly.’  

Before the words had completely formed in my brain, I heard a voice echo the sentiment. ‘Why do I love you so much? Because you love My Son so dearly.’

Giggling and welling up with tears at the same time I cherish the thought. God loves us even before we know Him. He’s loved us since before we entered this world. But what’s more exciting than being loved back?

I’m one of those people that just loves everyone. I may not always like a person’s behavior or agree with how they think, but it’s usually a pretty easy thing for me to truly love the people around me, and even those I haven’t actually even met in person yet. But my children’s friends hold a special place in my heart. I’m genuinely thankful that they love my children the way they do. And it hurts in an extremely painful way when one of those friends hurts or betrays my children. I can’t imagine the anguish our Father must feel.

When I see people loving each other – putting their love into action, I see the light of God in them. To see them loving my children, the joy makes me cry, literally.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (KJV)