How You Know You’re Loved
It’s all so beautiful, and it’s all right here for us to behold, a world wrapped in love.
The created world is crammed with God’s love-notes and His burning bushes: the changing seasons, the moving of tides, the mid-summer rain, and more. Belly buttons. The tight fist of a newborn. Gnarled, age-spotted hands of a grandmother. Alpacas and armadillos and ostriches and oxen. And later this year, we’ll see it again: The blush of autumn, and the diamonds spilled onto a snow-frosted yard. All of it, an art display of a God who says, “This is a gift for you, my beloved.”
Look around you today. It’s more proof of His love, for you. If He didn’t love you, then why would He even bother? Touched by God, our worst days are colored differently, because they have been supernaturally recast.
Last night, I watered the garden just as the sun began its slide down the western sky. Right then, I was unexpectedly struck with this intensely personal sense of God’s love — so struck that I couldn’t focus on my task. It was such a beautiful gift to me, beautiful to the point of tears, for I’d seen only my brokenness lately, not much of the beauty. I’d seen only the holes and the mistakes and the unlovable parts — and not the glory of God.
So last night, I was reading 1 Kings 8, and the story stopped me. A cloud had filled the temple of the LORD. “And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.”
Dear Lord, Let me be stopped today, stopped in my tracks and in my work and in my service and in my play, in whatever I’m doing, because of the cloud. Stop me, so I might behold the glory of God in His temple. In Me! For I am your temple. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Some of the beauty here, in pictures:
Last photo taken by Lydia Lee, of her sister, Anna.
Post submitted as a part of Lisa-Jo Baker’s 5-Minute Friday. Today, we’re writing for five minutes flat on this topic: Beautiful.
So Much beauty – all around! Don’t you just love when He interrupts our days to show us how He surrounds us with Beauty? Loved this – and love that you joined in with Five Minute Friday too! How fun!
Those 2 girls are beautiful. 🙂
Love the piece of scripture you shared. I don’t think I have ever read that one. Wouldn’t it be great to pray that pray every morning?
I’m going to look for it today. Thanks!
Jennifer, so much beauty here in the everyday act of living….you captured it so beautifully! And that photo of the street?? Every street should look just like that, with those wonderful trees shading the sidewalk 🙂
And, you have a beautiful family…..and you are beautiful inside and out!
Deeply touched by this.
Hey there, Jennifer! This is “beautiful”! You’ve done it again. Touched my heart. Some time ago, I began keeping my list of “1000 Gifts”, but I haven’t written anything in a couple of months. It’s like I’ve stopped looking and listening for the beauty round about me. Then, my husband and I took a drive the other day, and we saw so many beautiful farms in our area. The homes, porch swings, tree-lined driveways, freshly-painted barns, baby lambs, horses in their paddocks, cows munching, a dog snoozing under a tree, even a llama farm! I felt as though I’d been re-awakened to the simple pleasures of life. And now these photos of yours! Reflecting His most simple, precious, everyday gifts. They are there–all we have to do is ‘stay awake’ to them. (I particularly love the photos of your sweetheart and your girls. And Lydia’s capturing of Anna! So lovely!)
I really like that action photo of Scott with the Frisbee.
Me, too. That photo is actually from two summers ago, but I thought today was a good excuse to republish it. 🙂
Dear Jennifer,
What a gift when He graces us to see His beauty all around us and in us…and I see beauty in you, my friend…in fact, you inspired a line in my FMF post 🙂
Dear Jennifer
Yes, our Lord surely stops us right in our tracks at those times when He overwhelms us with His Presence. It is as if the glory and beauty of that moment takes your breath away!
Much love XX
Mia
Loved this, and loved seeing you at five minute friday! Can’t wait to meet and hug you at allume! xo
Jacque … It will be such a highlight to see you at Allume. 🙂
So beautiful to be stopped in our tracks by God’s glory and the fact that he wants to share it with us makes it all the more beautiful!
I’m making that my prayer today as well. A change of perspective is truly an undervalued miracle. Love the pictures of God’s treasures… I’m always fascinated and never tire of being reminded that the greatest treasures can’t be purchased or counted with numbers. Thanks, Jennifer.
Hi Jennifer,
I love how God blesses us with these moments that are so precious that the moment becomes a part of our life story, in our search for Him.
Great graphics and great reminder of how He cares for us through the seasons. Shalom