Seed:
2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:18-25; 1 Peter 3:3-4; Galatians 5:22-26
Plant:
When I was talking to my mother yesterday, she said something to me that I can’t get out of my mind. I’ve been pondering it, and I thought I’d share my ponderings with you.
She was telling me about a woman who lives near her who has dementia. Although she and my mother are acquainted, when they saw each other the other day the woman said to my mom, “I don’t know your name, but I know you’re a nice person because your wrinkles go in the right direction.”
Although dementia is slowly robbing this woman of many things, it has yet to steal her ability to see people. To see beyond the external to something much deeper. And she saw something in my mom, through something most of us lament over, that revealed who she was inside.
This reminded me of how our lives should be as children of God. People are supposed to be able to look at us, at our lives, and see Him inside of us.
Often times, it is our scars, our weaknesses, our circumstances, the things we may be lamenting over as a woman laments over the wrinkles invading her once youthful face, through which others are able to see the most beautiful picture of God. It isn’t our fancy clothes or salon styled hair or radiant skin through which others see our Heavenly Father. It is through the fruit of the Spirit permeating our lives regardless of those things by which they get a glimpse of Him.
Do others, when they look at me, see the mercy, grace, goodness, faithfulness, strength, and holiness of God? Do my wrinkles, scars, and shortcomings reflect His perfect love?
We aren’t going to be perfect, but I think that’s the point. We are all in need of a Savior. We all need someone to step in and fix the broken messes of our lives. But are our wrinkles going in the right direction? Are all the things that our Messiah came to redeem pointing others to our Redeemer?
Harvest:
Heavenly Father, thank You for our wrinkles. For all the imperfections in our lives that point to Your perfect love, Your perfect provision, Your perfect mercy, Your perfect strength, and Your perfect ability to redeem our lives from sin. May I continue to be transformed day by day, from one degree of glory to another, into the image of Your Son, that I would be – scars and all – a beautiful reflection of You to the world. Amen.
A Scarlet Cord 