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Let it snow, let it snow…

Yesterday 12 & ½ inches of snow blanketed North Texas. It has gone down in the record books as a miracle snowfall. My simple suburb was transformed into a breathtaking sight, scenery pure and thick with quiet. Hustle and bustle had clearly flown to warmer climates. Trees brushed off their unfamiliar new coats of snow. Birds no longer camouflaged by nature but instead flittering dots on a white world.

I was struck by just the sheer immensity of how much snow there was. Piles, drifts even. I recalled that once upon a time someone quite learned taught me that every single snowflake is entirely unique. No two ever the same. Ever. The piles, drifts and Texas snowmen were made of some astronomical number of individual snowflakes. Millions, billions, trillions, trillions times trillions. Each and every one of them different? Hard to fathom. I had this picture of God's mighty hand just shaking them out over my zip code. Gently but with purpose the way a farmer's wife would shake out feed to the hens. Intentional but with little effort. And I marveled about how simple everything is for God. It staggers the mind to ponder that from the dawn of time to this Texas mini blizzard every single snowflake that had ever fallen anywhere in the entire world has been different. The enormity of it is majestic. God is majestic. You can see the correlation. How can I ever doubt a God that takes the time to make snowflakes special? If snowflakes can matter that much to Him then surely He took even more care in making each one of us, well, "us". If His hand can so simply transform a landscape then what can He do with me? With you? I get giddy just thinking about what He might have in mind! Don't you too? I am no expert but I'd be willing to bet most snowflakes are never seen by anyone but God. And yet He still takes that much care with them. I would think no less of His sovereignty if He had decided all snowflakes would be identical. But He didn't. The obvious is that He designed us to be seen. To shine. Shine brightly at that. He wants us to stand out. The talents and giftings and senses humor, uncanny memorys, whatever, to glow for His glory. So how much more has He invested in our individual creation? Snowflakes barely survive a few hours and we are given a lifetime? My mind is boggled and I am compelled to live up to my personal blueprint.

Perhaps it is a silly comparison…snowflakes and us. But maybe not. God is a God of detail. Nothing too tiny for His might. Gosh, even when Adam and Eve had sinned and stood before Him with rough leaves covering their nakedness He took fur and clothed them in softness. No detail overlooked for His beloved.

He made me to be me. He made you to be you. He dusted my world with snowflakes so that I might marvel in Him. How honored I am that He longs so much to grab my attention. I triple dog dare you to spend the next 24 hours watching for how He is working to grab yours.

For to the snow He says, "Fall on the earth" Job 37: 6

Fun Fact

FYI, if you feed a 2 year old blueberries please know that they will fully reconstitute in bathwater. Enough said.

Wanna See The Face Of God?

I begged heaven for my daughter. I shook my fist in anger at God that she was not here for me to hold. I mourned never feeling a growing child move inside my belly and in my very soul I ached to mother. There was a hole in me nothing else could fill, but her.

Waiting for her was the biggest stretch my faith has ever known. But the journey was the most intimate I had ever been with God. Through those years He tested my love, He cast down every idol and He drew me to Him. I know He longed that I would desire Him more than I desired her. And how eager He and all of heaven must have been watching the calendar that I could not see that showed the date she would come into our family. As I can only picture in human terms I chuckle to think that perhaps He could barely sleep the night before I met her knowing the joy I would soon hold in my arms.

Now I have learned that the joy was far more than becoming a mother. The joy was in seeing His promise manifest before my very eyes. Every time I look at her little cherub face I know my prayers are heard on high. I know He places the desires in my heart and I know that He has good plans for me. I know He holds my hand and I know that He delights in me. I know He is my shield and my place of refuge. I know that when I look at her I see the face of God...she is a real, live, breathing prayer come to life…His hand extended to mine…His face smiling down upon me. I am humbled by the lavishness of His gift.

Now dear reader I know that you may not much care that it took me what felt like a lifetime to become a mother. But I bet you care that God answers prayers. And I bet you care whether or not faith works. I bet you are itching to see God's face revealed in your own miracle emerging from the ether of heaven into your life. So I have this to say to you: Your prayers are heard on high. He places the desires in your heart and He has good plans for you. He is who holds your hand and He absolutely delights in you. He is your shield and your place of refuge. His hand is extended to you…His face is smiling down upon you and He is eager to lavish His love upon you. Wanna see it happen? Then trust Him with your whole heart and nothing less. He has a calendar with the date of whatever you are believing for circled and I bet He won't be able to sleep the night before you see His face manifest before you.

Kinky?

I was in the car this morning thinking about the amazing women I get to lead and learn from every Tuesday night. I call them Radical Rockstars because I believe the type of transformation they crave can only come through radical action. I honor them for embarking upon a journey few ever brave.

As I was thinking about what us ladies would cover tomorrow night I got a picture of how transformation works. And so let the analogy begin, ya know how when you grab your extension cord and you go to plug it in it inevitably has a few kinks, a couple of knots and all together just does not cooperate. And of course you are in a hurry to get accomplished whatever it is that requires the extension cord so it is just all the more frustrating. So what do you do? You stop everything else and you unroll the cord, you undo any knots and smooth out all the kinks. Then when you go to put it away, having learned from your experience, you neatly roll it back up before you put it away.

Well, transformation works a lot the same way. You keep trying to plug away at "it" (whatever your "it" is) but there seems to be all these kinks and knots slowing you down or blocking your way all together. Now, for those not so radical they just plug in their cord anyway and are only able to accomplish what is within reach of their kinked up and knotty cord. BUT, for those radical enough to take the time to unwind years of disempowering thinking, limiting beliefs and roadblock patterns they are able to reach out and tackle whatever big, bold, bodacious dream God has placed in their hearts.

So, oh great radical one, go unwind your kinky cord why don't ya?

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may proove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 12:2

A moment...

So…yeah….had a moment…..ok, per previous post I am most fired up for tomorrow's faceting to begin. BUT that is tomorrow so tonight I chose the road less faceted and decided that for dinner my daughter and I would pop out to get some good old fashioned fried up and greasy fast food. Now to appreciate this story you have to know that when I am home I tend to go for comfy rather than cute and today was no exception. I figured we were getting window food so no one would see my attire.

Once in the car I noticed the fuel range indicated 7 miles. Uh oh, I forgot I needed gas. Double uh oh, I am rocking out hot pink sweat shorts , a tank top (it is 39 degrees outside) and get this, my granny fanny velour house shoes. Seriously. To grasp the urgency of my impending shame you must know it is Super Bowl Sunday and the streets are busy. Add to that I live in one of the seven most affluent towns in America. And here I am in what can only be described as full out W.T. attire, frankly all I needed at this point to qualify for PeopleOfWalmart.com is a cigarette hanging out of my mouth.

Of course there were about 15 cars at the nearest gas station, all drivers dressed in warm, trendy attire. Glaring was the obvious absence of any other house shoes. Let's just say it takes a most self confident woman to get out of her car and pump gas in light pink rubber soled velour slippers. Oh for the faceting to begin!

58 Facets

Tomorrow is a sort of D Day for me. The first day I officially take the first of many action steps towards my 2010 goals.

Oy.

I mean I am excited….well, more like I am eager to get closer to being the me I feel I can be rather than the me who has allowed herself to stay this side of excellence. I am excited about this line in the sand to prevent me from returning to mediocre-ville. But am I eager to start the action steps? No. Would I rather sleep in and stick to my old habits. Well, duh of course I would 'cause that would be a lot easier. But my new motto is "it is not about easy it is about excellence".

Maybe I think too much. Maybe my dreams are too big. Nah, I don't buy that. I think I and we are just multi-faceted. Yep, that's it. We are like a finely carved gemstone—or better yet we are in the process of becoming a finely carved gemstone, our true brilliance just waiting to be brought out.

So by that word picture of a definition then tonight when I lay out tomorrow's schedule which involves these new action items to reach my goals then what I am really doing is laying out the tools of a jeweler's bench. Tomorrow when I start my day spending intimate time with God it will be the first cut on this raw stone of me. And as I replace old habits with new, intentional behaviors another bit of the raw and non glittering part of me will be carved off.

No diamond was ever brought from raw to light reflecting in one stroke. It takes 58 facets to make a brilliant cut diamond sparkle. I want so much for my little light to shine, not so much because of me but because of the light that lives inside of me. So tomorrow morning rather than roll over to snooze I will roll out of bed ready to be carved into the one and only me I was destined to be. Maybe I am just 58 bold decisions away from my inner brilliance…..maybe so are you.