Category: Inspiration

The Joy Dare – Three Ugly-Beautiful Gifts

There are some gifts that don’t look like gifts from the outside, because they are not “beautiful.” But when you look beyond their outer appearance and see what they mean, you realize that they are gifts of the greatest kind.

  1. Our Backyard – Right now our backyard’s appearance is pretty rough. There is a large sand-pit in the middle, left-over from the pool that had been above it. Debris is strewn across the lawn (well, there’s not really much grass to account for!), and everything is just a bit disheveled. However, this backyard is a blessing – because we had special people help us get it to the point that it is now. Loving family and friends helped us to take down our above-ground pool and disassemble our deck, and then to pile everything in a dumpster to have it taken away. This was a lot of work! Needless to say, both my husband and I are very grateful for this help, and even though we have a long way to go to get our backyard to look the way we want it to, steps have been taken in the right direction. 🙂our-backyard
  2. A Winter Hat – For Christmas this past year my husband didn’t know what gifts to get for me, so I tried to help him. I picked out a few items online and had them sent to our home, where they were wrapped and put under the tree. When Christmas came and I finally got to try them, some were good, and some were no-so-good. One not-so-good item was a winter hat that came as part of a set. I liked the scarf and gloves, but the hat was, well, a little large…and as my husband put it, “not very flattering.” But the aspect about it that I would say is beautiful is that my husband had still encouraged me to choose several items for myself, because he loves me. It makes it kind of funny that I picked out something for myself that I found out I don’t like…but hey, it can still be used in an emergency. 😉ugly-hat
  3. A Strange Stuffed Animal – The last gift that I would like to share is actually a gift that my husband received. He had been put into a drawing at work for a prize, because of his excellent attendance. Amazingly, his name was picked for the drawing, and he was given a gift card to his place of work, along with a weird stuffed animal. I could definitely do without the stuffed animal in our home, as I consider it quite, well, ugly…but it is a reminder of the recognition that he was given for his good work performance. So this ugly-beautiful gift stays. 🙂target-dog

Praise God for Ugly-Beautiful gifts! ❤

Featured Image Credit: lovethispic.com

Freedom From Suffering

A child of God was once overwhelmed by the number of afflictions that seemed to target her. As she walked past a vineyard during the rich glow of autumn, she noticed its untrimmed appearance and the abundance of leaves still on the vines. The ground had been overtaken by a tangle of weeds and grass, and the entire place appeared totally unkempt. While she pondered the sight, the heavenly Gardener whispered such a precious message to her that she could not help but share it.

The message was this: “My dear child, are you questioning the number of trials in your life? Remember the vineyard and learn from it. The gardener stops pruning and trimming the vine or weeding the soil only when he expects nothing more from the vine during that season. He leaves it alone, because its fruitfulness is gone and further effort now would yield no profit. In the same way, freedom from suffering leads to uselessness. Do you now want me to stop pruning Your life? Shall I leave you alone?

Then her comforted heart cried, “No!”

~ Homera Homer-Dixon

It is the branch that bears the fruit,

That feels the knife,

To prune it for a larger growth,

A fuller life.

Though every budding twig be trimmed,

And every grace

Of swaying tendril, springing leaf,

May lose its place.

O you whose life of joy seems left,

With beauty shorn;

Whose aspirations lie in dust,

All bruised and torn,

Rejoice, though each desire, each dream,

Each hope of thine

Will fall and fade; it is the hand

Of Love Divine

That holds the knife, that cuts and breaks

With tenderest touch,

That you, whose life has borne some fruit,

Might now bear much.

~ Annie Johnson Flint

From Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman – February 19th

Photo Credit: Jassy Onyae