THIS THING CALLED MARRIAGE...

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)


Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:18, 21-24)


"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:22-33)

"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." (1 Peter 2:25-3:2 3:7)


Today Kurt and I have officially been married 27 years. It's hard to believe that it has been that long!!! Where does time go? How does it slip away so quickly?



There we are in all our joy, innocent about the journey we were about to travel on!

Two very distinct and unique individuals coming together with different backgrounds to blend and compromise and learn how to give to each other, to surrender our own wants and needs for the other.

But we were not just two broken humans entering into the sacrament of marriage on our own. We had the wonderful grace of having the Lord Jesus Christ with us. We were not just two people at either end of a connecting line moving toward oneness in the center. We were part of a triangle.

On the one side of the triangle was Kurt's vertical line connecting him upwards to God. On the other side of the triangle was my vertical line connecting me upwards to God. And the horizontal baseline of the triangle was our relational line connecting us to each other.

Over the years Kurt and I discovered and have continued learning that we are ultimately and personally responsible to maintain and keep watch over that vertical line representing each of our personal relationships with our personal Savior. Neither one of us is to step into the other's space and distance that intimately connects each of us with our Savior. That is the relationship that is pursued by each person alone, and it is an intentional relationship with the Holy Spirit, God in us.

Our dual, shared roles and responsibilities are to be concentrated on that base horizontal line that joined us in marriage. When we said our vows back on May 15, 1982, that line was put in place to complete our triangle for life! Life on this earth, that is. And it was not to be severed!

We found out that when the two vertical lines connecting each of us relationally with God are in good order and thriving, that is when our horizontal line (relationship) as husband and wife is at it's best! Aha! So there is the secret for pursuing a marriage that would not only bring joy and peace here, but also glorifies and honors the One who ordained the union. Keeping Jesus our focus and then serving our mate as if we were serving the ONE our eyes are on. Easier said than done, yes?

Physically and emotionally and spiritually...God designed and created me to live with one man. It is up to me to trust God enough to believe that surrendering to His will and His ways in this life, the good, the difficult, and sometimes the ugly, will in the end, produce the most satisfying life possible for me.

In a marriage that lasts over the years, grows and changes and matures...it can only do so in a positive and edifying manner by HARD WORK, very DELIBERATE CHOICES, and CONCRETE ACTIONS. (from Sacred Marriage)

That word hard means "it ain't easy! and no one ever promised it would be. It is heavy duty labor and intentional!...every day!

That word deliberate means you do it "on purpose". It is no accident. You mean to make the choices you make. They are thought out.

That word concrete means your actions are solidifying and lasting. It means that how you act will stand firm with time.... say like 27 years (and more!) worth of time.

You will notice in the list to the right of my favorite books is a book called Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. I highly recommend it. :-) Below I list a couple of quotes from his writing that impacted me in my marriage to Kurt, for the better. They made me think. They changed a few attitudes that needed to be rearranged!

Let me just first render the question to you that is put before the Reader on the cover of the book.

"What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?"(...say what?)

"Marriage requires a radical commitment to love our spouses as they are, while longing for them to become what they are not yet. Every marriage moves either toward enhancing one another's glory or toward degrading each other." -Dan Allender / Tremper Longman III (wow....if this is true of every marriage, which group do you fall in?)

"One of the best wedding gifts God gave you was a full-length mirror called your spouse. Had there been a card attached, it would have said, 'Here's to helping you discover what you're really like!'" -Gary and Betsy Ricucci (oh yeah! That really packs a punch, doesn't it?)

Marriage is one of the best things God ever thought of to help us to see what His character is like. It takes a LOT of patience, a LOT of love, and LOT of forgiveness. WE are loved with a true and full love by our Heavenly Father. We are forgiven with an eternal forgiveness by our Redeeming Savior....and we are tended to and cared for with unending patience by our infinite helper, the Holy Spirit. All of this we do not and NEVER WILL deserve.

So, doesn't my spouse, the one God hand-picked and delivered to me in His own amazing way and plan deserve to have the same treatment from me? Today I respond to that question with a firm and undoubting YES!

And I have One in me and walking with me every step of the way who has promised me that He will help me see it done. I only have to concentrate on my relationship with Him, and He will see to it that all things fall into place in His plan.

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (I Thess. 5:23,24)

Whether you have been married for only a short time, or for a long time, or maybe "in-between," give your marriage triangle a checkup. Is your baseline connecting you and your partner experiencing some upheaval? Are you going through a season where you are wondering where your marriage is going or if it is ever going to return to that "first year - happy in love" stage again?

Set your eyes on Christ. Get your relationship with Him back to where it needs to be, and let HIM worry about your husband's side of the triangle. Do what you know is your part and ask God to give you His love and patience and forgiveness for your beloved. He deserves no less from you, the "helper" God gave to him. Use him as that mirror to see where you need to change.

God is your strength, your helper, and your deliverer. Trust in Him. "He will do it."

Thanking God for my Kurt, a man who knows my deepest needs! ( sweet nothings whispered in my ear from a card, and CHOCOLATE sweets!) - waiting for me this am when I came out to the kitchen. :-)

And attached today is the music selection that was played as we exited the sanctuary as the brand spanking new "Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Smith." I cannot listen to this piece to this day without getting goose bumps because it takes me back to that moment in time. (must be why I love music so much... it does memory and soul excavation and digs up long ago memories. :-)

Blessings,

Thoughts For Thursday

Today....this morning to be exact, at 2 AM, my oldest son, Justin began what is the last lap of his race on Parris Island, SC at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot. That was when the Crucible began... the defining moment of recruit training; 54 hours of the final, ultimate testing to see if the recruits have what it takes to earn the title of United States MARINE.

"For most, the Crucible will be the first time they reach the limits of their mental, physical, and emotional endurance. They will know that they are capable of much more than they previously believed."

We are praying for Justin, his squad, his entire platoon. We believe that these young men will endure, will encourage and support one another to the end. It is the goal they have trained for, what has driven them to continue and not give in through all the hardships and "suffering." A favored term used by Marines is "PAIN is weakness leaving the body." So one would have to believe that these recruits have gotten rid of a wagon load of weaknesses during the last 12 weeks. (or more, for those who were sidetracked, like Justin, who came down with pneumonia his second week there.)

Upon completion of the Crucible, they will have crossed the finish line of their journey on Parris Island. They will have earned, and earned well...that coveted title, and received that long awaited for Pin.

We look forward to hearing from Justin on Sunday.

My second son Jonny is about to become a high school graduate. After being schooled at home under mom for such a long time, I'm sure he's Hoorahing this finish line big-time! He did attend CPCC this past year and enjoyed getting into a College environment. :-)


So when Justin finally gets done and receives his well earned 10 day break, we will have a lot of celebrating to do for these young men and the milestones they have achieved.

“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given tests that teach you lessons.” (T. Bodett)

The quote above is truly an understatement. It is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is gained from the pursuit of instruction and education. Wisdom is gained from a humble spirit that is teachable. Wisdom is received from living long years of life, experiencing all that it throws your way, and learning from your mistakes. It is a gift that is endowed from God above.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding." (Ps. 111:10)

"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold>" (Prov. 3:13-14)

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

This mom's prayer is that all 4 of my children will love the Lord, make knowing HIM their personal goal and pursuit in life, and understand that wisdom is to be sought above knowledge and "happiness." I pray that they will not be self-seeking, self-serving adults, but live to give honor and glory to God as they pursue the better and higher portions of a life with Him.

And today I think of my husband who is once again in another transition of his career. The last I wrote, he was taking on a new "day" position, leaving night shifts behind. YES! He was given a choice of two locations. We prayed and he chose what he felt God was leading him to pursue. Then in an unexpected moment, he was called 2 weeks later, and asked if he might consider taking the position at the other location. He considered, we prayed once again, claiming Proverbs 2 for wisdom and for God to lead him, and this week he began anew at the 2nd location offer.

We believe that God worked all of this winding path in His will and good timing to continue to build up our faith and our hope that He is watching out for our BEST, and that He cares about Kurt's assurance and confidence in his career path. It was an awesome gift for Kurt to get a taste of both positions offered to him, that he might be even more sure that his steps are being ordered by the Lord, that God is making all things good.

We love the Lord. Today we acknowledge that He is our God, our awesome God, and that those whose hearts are bent to please Him, who seek to live their lives out for Him are rewarded in due time. God is good ALL the time. Good times and Tough times. In the tough times of life's testings, we are stretched, being taught eternal lessons about ourselves and our powerful, all-sufficient God. He is all that we need for whatever comes our way.

God is enough. All that we have in HIM is more than enough!

Blessings,

ARE YOU BUILDING ON THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION?

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (I Corinthians 3:10-15)




This verse written by Paul is a warning. He personally testifies that only by God's grace, He chose Christ as his foundation upon which everything else in his life is being built on. He then cautions his fellow Christian brothers to "build with care." If Jesus Christ is our sure foundation, and the construction of our lives rises up out of, and as a result of that foundation, why would Paul see the need to issue a caution advisory?

I believe the next statement explains...."For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

I believe that we as Christians today should heed Paul's warning to the early Christians and consider what we are building our lives on as we seek to honor the Lord every day. There may come moments in our lives that can easily turn into seasons, if we are not careful, where we become too easily pleased with the good, rather than the best, when it comes to our building.

Jesus Christ is the one and only foundation upon which we are commanded to build our faith, our strength, and our hope. There is no room for substitutes, even temporary ones mistakenly placed on top of that original ROCK!

You could fill in the blank. How does the quantity and quality of your time spent with Christ compare to the time you might be using to build by........

Emailing, face booking, blogging, (in the name of Christ,of course)?

Searching for and listening to inspirational music?

Reading edifying spiritual-growth books, blogs, and publications?

Talking to friends on the phone as a means of encouraging each other and sharing what Christ is doing in your lives?

Serving in the church, in ministries, in your neighborhoods, in your friend's families?

Mentoring or Discipling a brother or sister, or being mentored yourself?

When you do NOT get to spend the time you want doing one or more of the above, how do you react? Are you upset and almost angry because you didn't get to do what you wanted?

How about if one of the points listed leads to disappointment, and brings hurt or offense, how do you handle that?

In comparison, do you get the same feelings of being deprived, or lack joy when you don't get to spend time with your Lord????

And so I ask, to make you think... Is the time you are spending in daily, if not hourly construction time consisting of the secondary materials rising up ON TOP OF your original completed foundation, Christ alone? Have those things become your spiritual construction site focus? Are you spending too much time on the less important things to please yourself, that make you feel good about your "service" to the Lord, rather than investing your building time on the best things that please the Savior first?

"At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength." (II Timothy 4: 16,17)

Things and people will let you down.

Christ will never leave you or forsake you. He is there ALL the time. That is why HE IS THE ROCK. He is solid. Unshakable. Loyal. Strong. Faithful. Never disappointing. As He was with Paul, He is with you, always at your side, giving you strength to choose Him as the BEST....over the things that are good... but of lesser quality.

Do a quality check. Make sure that getting to know CHRIST better and better is the foundation you are still building your days and life on. "No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Build With Care. You must do it on purpose, with focused intention, paying attention daily.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7: 24-27)

Do not do away with the "good things" in building. They are the materials to build UP your walls, but never let them become a "second layer" foundation covering over the best.... your original solid Rock foundation.

"On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand! " (Christ the Solid Rock hymn)




You are washed in the blood of Christ, and clothed in His righteousness. In this...you stand secure in the culture's shifting sands.

Lord, show us where we may be building with the wrong things or in the wrong way. May our foundation always be Christ the Rock, and Christ alone.

"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong." (Job 6:24)

Blessings,

GOD...and God alone!

"Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God Alone remains." Therese of Lisieux

*God and God alone created all these things we call our own,
From the mighty to the small the Glory in them all is God's and God's alone!

No matter what man may say, there is only One Creator. It is He that has made everything on this earth.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..." (Genesis 1:1)
It was His good pleasure to allow us to enjoy and receive pleasure from His creation.
All of it belongs to God, and God alone.


*God and God alone reveals the truth of all we call unknown
and the best and worst of man won't change the Master's plan,
It's God's and God's alone.

God is the Source and revealer of all wisdom. His thoughts and ways are above and beyond our thoughts and ways. There is nothing....nothing, that man can do that will effect or alter the plans God has for this earth. He always has been, is today, and always will be on His throne, ruling, overseeing, and executing His Master plan. He is unchanging, unshakable. This is our confidence.
"By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place.." (Prov. 3:19)

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)


*God and God alone will be the joy of our eternal home
He will be our one desire Our hearts will never tire of God's and God's alone.

Yesterday I blogged about C S Lewis's quote speaking of the desire that cannot be met by the things of this earthly home. That is because it is God and God alone who will be our ultimate joy when we arrive and remain in His realm, our eternal home. All of our desires here on this earth will be swallowed up into the one desire of our heart, to worship and praise our God...alone.
It is then that the longing of our soul will be satisfied.

"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise' Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"
(Revelation 5:11-13)


*God and God alone is fit to take the universe's throne.
Let everything that lives reserve it's truest praise for God and God alone.

There is only One God who is worthy to rule, maintain, oversee, and judge the universe. That is the God who created it. He is worthy of our praise. Our truest praise. He is God alone.

Elohim - Mighty and Strong
El Shaddai - All Sufficient
Adonai - Master and Lord
Jehovah - YAHWEH- (the covenant name of God) - I Am Who I Am.
El Elyon - Most High

This God is our God. He is in control. He is carrying out His master plan. There is nothing that occurs outside of His will for this earth or for you, if you are His.

Do you know and believe this? No matter what is happening in your life right now, God is choreographing it all. He is directing all circumstances to work together for your good. No man can touch what God has ordained for those who belong to Him and are in His good plan.

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close." (Revelation 3:8)

When God shuts one door, He opens another. (old much quoted Irish proverb)

Your life is in the palm of God's hand. His head is not turned away when life gets tough. He is always there in the good times and bad. He is God. He reigns. Believe it.

Give Him all of your heart's truest praise today for that truth that holds all things together for you.

The words of this post come from the attached song of worship, God and God Alone, sung by Steve Green. Take a moment to listen or sing along and give a portion of praise to your God alone. It will give Him pleasure, and lift your heart.

Blessings,

Mudpies?..... or Holiday by the Sea?

"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing." (C S Lewis - Mere Christianity)

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” (C S Lewis, The Weight of Glory)


I am caught up by the two quotes you have just read by C S Lewis. This man has captured the interest and the delight of many a reader. I was especially ensnared with his Chronicles of Narnia series. (What child isn't?) Now that those stories are being brought to life on the big-screen, they are even more popular.

But those stories are probably the most delightful because... they are for children. When one starts to dig into some of the "adult level" reading material Lewis has delivered, it can become heavy. Occasionally, I have just laid some of his books down, because I could not get into them. The man certainly had a mind that dug deeply.

But for today, I wanted to comment on these two quotes simply because they resonated in me and touched a nerve... a spiritual nerve.

Many of us, I am sure have felt the "desire" that Lewis speaks of in the first quote from Mere Christianity. I call it a longing. Because every single human being that has existed and ever will exist on this earth is made in the image of God, there is more to us than just this "earthsuit" that we walk around in. Because there is a SOUL within, that cries out for... longs for its ultimate abiding place, it is concluding to say, we can not be satisfied while we stay here.

I can remember as a child, living in a manse next to the church where my father was the pastor. Out in the front yard which connected to the church parking lot, (gravel, sand and dirt) there stood a large shady tree. After rainy days, my sister and I would go out and play in the wet mix, underneath that tree, making "mud pies." We used sticks and stones and flowers to decorate them. Then I remember somehow turning my trike into some sort of imaginary cart to sell those mud pies. It was all good fun. :-)

We are no longer children, and life has become more complicated, more controlled, more demanding. We long for those days where we captured a simple joy making those mud pies. We were innocent to the ways of the world. We were protected by the "invisible fences" surrounding us that our parents had erected to keep us secure. We went to school, learned reading, writing, and arithmetic. We learned about Jesus our Savior, and believed that He was our Savior. We sang Jesus Loves Me and The B-I-B-L-E, and believed it all in our childlike faith, having no reason to doubt.

Now...the playtimes of our adult lives that would parallel those childhood "mud pie moments" no longer satisfy. The ingredients and materials that today's adults would use to reinvent those delightful playtimes no longer give lasting joy. They are empty, because life is no longer simple. Our childhood days are long past, and our adult minds tell us that there is something missing, an element that keeps us searching for that long lost innocent satisfaction and joy.

This...is the longing of a soul to have an intimate relationship with its Creator. This...is what our true existence is about, what we were created for, to experience and enjoy the delightful presence of the One who desires for us to know Him.

For those of us who have been to the seaside, we understand the vast difference communicated in the quote of Lewis. The dirty, murky mud can not even compare to the vast sparkling white sands of the beaches. The amazing view of the seemingly endless waters stretching all the way to the horizon before us, the mesmerizing ebb and flow of the tide, the crashing of the waves, the salty taste of the water....falls into a class of its own when compared to the mud puddles of our own backyard....or a slum, whatever the case may be.

We search for what we long for. Where we search will determine the final resting place of our longing for joy.

Are you searching for those long-lost moments in your life where you are delighted simply by the innocent resting and fulfillment of pure joy that meets a desire you feel in your life... in your soul? Do you feel like you are sitting in the mud, when you should be experiencing the beauty and splendor of a "holiday by the sea?"


There is a God-given desire in every one of us to know the ONE who can fill up that need and impart eternal joy, peace, delight, and rest. Decide to get out of your back yard where you have settled for the mud. Make a commitment and take the time to travel in your heart's journey to the seaside and experience what God is offering to you.

Do not let yourself become "too easily pleased."

Our souls may not be in their ultimate resting place where joy will always be the state of our existence in the presence of our Lord, but there is offered to us, while we are still here on this earth, the moments of a "holiday" when we can experience a foretaste of what's coming.

Do Not Settle For Less! There is more to this life than what this world offers.

Our Savior desires with all His heart for us to taste and see that what HE offers is a wonderful gift. He will meet the desires and longings of your soul, because He intimately loves you.

Blessings,

Happy Mother's Day

"She speaks wisely. She teaches faithfully. She watches over family matters. She is busy all the time. Her children stand up and call her blessed. Her husband also rises up, and he praises her...." (Proverbs 31: 26-28)


So very happy today to be a mom to four awesome, beautiful, handsome, wonderful children. They are the best gifts their Dad ever gave to me. :-)

I thank my God for the gift and privilege and wonder of motherhood.

It is a hard job and sometimes....occasionally, exhausting.

But it is worth every single moment to raise such precious little beings into adulthood to carry on another generation, and to live to honor their Creator.

May they always know they are children of the KING first of all, and live for Him.

I love my mom. I appreciate her today and every day... She is a tower of strength and an example of courage and fortitude as she fights her battle with cancer. She is the picture of a woman who loves God. She raised us in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and for that I am MOST grateful. May God bless her today.


May God bless all mothers today, this special day....that honors them.

And now, a little bit of humor, an oldie but a goodie. How many moms have said these things!!??????

Your "Earthsuit"

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body." (C. S. Lewis)

I like this quote.

I started teaching my kids this truth when they were small, by telling them they were like an astronaut.

When the astronaut is away from his "earth habitat", in outer space, or walking on the moon, he has to wear a "space-suit" in order for him to breathe and function in an atmosphere where there is no oxygen. It enables him to live in his surroundings by providing what is needed to survive. The suit protects the man's body.

In the same way, our soul is in our physical body. This body is what God so miraculously created to house our soul. It is what we need to function and survive on this earth. Our hearts beat and pump life giving blood, and our lungs inhale and breath oxygen which feeds our brains, which operate to make us thinking and reasoning creatures. It protects our soul.


So really, what makes us who we are? Is it what we see in the mirror, that earth-suit? or is it what the suit protects?.....our soul, the core that is made in the very image of our Creator, God?


I used to ask my kids, Is the astronaut the white suit with all the hoses and tubes and helmet with the face shield and the funny boots, OR is it the man inside the suit?





What is the most important factor about that astronaut and his needs? The man himself!


Why is the suit less important?


Because it is only the man's protective covering.


Does that make it unimportant?


NO! He must take vital care and give heed to the suit operating properly in order to survive outside of his environment.


But again, the suit was made to protect what is most valuable. The astronaut. The man.


What is the most important factor about Man and his needs? The soul of man.


Why is our body less important?


Because it is only our soul's protective housing for our time here on earth.


Does that make it unimportant?


NO! We must take vital care and give heed to our bodies operating properly in order to survive here... away from our heavenly, spiritual home.


But again, the body was made to house and give substance to what is MOST VALUABLE!

Our soul. Our spirit.

So C. S. Lewis has made an obvious, yet very profound statement. When we view other people, we need to ask God for HIS eyes. We need to look beyond the "earthsuit" that only houses the true man or woman, the Soul.



It is only when we can see with the spiritual eyes of our soul's heart, the heart of God, that we can truly begin to view people as God sees them. It is then that we really begin to minister and serve for God's kingdom. We are equipped by the Holy Spirit who resides in our souls.... to start living in a world that exists above the radar of our physical planet.

Your earthsuit only provides housing for who you really are. This is true of everyone else around you too. Ask the ONE who made your Soul and your "earthsuit" to let you start seeing with your most important eyes. Ask to be able to see people for who and what they really are.

Get ready to be amazed at what God can do when you request to view things as HE does.... to have your heart break for the things HIS heart breaks over.

Be ready to be used by Him!

Next time you look in the mirror, think of an astronaut. :-) It might change the way you view yourself. And that's a good thing.

Blessings!