You Make Beautiful Things

"All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us...

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new..."

Gungor, Beautiful Things

Girlfriends, I am back!!!!!
I have missed you soooo much!! Yet, I had a wonderful time in Florida with my mom, sister, two daughters and Mark. Lifetime memories created, and oh the stories we have to tell. God certainly blessed us, and I thank Him for safe travels for everyone on that very long drive.

All things new

 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true. Revelation 21:5 NASB

I returned home yesterday to a wonderful sight. The tree in front of my house is alive with beautiful blossoms. Last fall, I was positive something had killed it. The leaves had disease; the branches were breaking off. Overall, the appearance was sickly. But now, wow:

"But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT

As I gazed upon this glorious sight, the song Beautiful Things by Gungor played in my head. If you have not, please click the link above and listen. This song captures my thoughts and emotions on so many occasions. God makes beautiful things...out of dust, out of ashes, out of what appears to our eyes to be dead, out of nothing, out of us! Praise Him!

All Things New, Including YOU

Maybe you are in a state of "dust" right now, feeling useless, defeated, or lifeless? Girlfriends, I want to encourage you to hang in there, wait for the next season of life, just as my tree and I had to remain in hope through winter in order to see God make something beautiful out of a disaster. I love Isaiah 43: forget all the past; it is nothing compared to what God is going to do. He is about to do a new thing and He has already begun if we will just "see." Linger in hope, ladies. God is always at work in us; be patient. 

I pray today that whatever your present circumstances, you will be aware of the mighty works of your Lord. As Gungor sings, "All around, Hope is springing up from this old ground, Out of chaos life is being found in You." 

You have heard this before: God does not make junk! He makes beautiful things, and you are His creation. You are beautiful. Accept it. Embrace it. Own your beauty. Let God's love sink in and seep out. Be His irrigation system to a dry and thirsty world, and notice how much greener the grass is around the source of the water. YOU will grow faster and go farther than you can ever imagine if you patiently let Him work through you. I pray it for you today, Girlfriends, and I stand in the refreshing waters bursting forth. Blessings!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV