Beautiful Reflections

 

Each of us is unique!

Science, unfortunately, was not a favorite subject of some of us in school. However, some science teachers had a way of making things interesting with a lesson on reflective surfaces. God bless those teachers who continue to have passion! What made this demonstration so interesting was creating a favorite childhood toy: the kaleidoscope. 

Using ordinary objects like beads, glass, buttons, mirrors, and angles, the experiment created beautiful pictures inside a tube when held up to the light. And none of the colorful designs in the school project were ever the same twice. Understandably, to this day kaleidoscopes are popular for kids and adults alike. The lack of duplication in the design is precisely how each of us is made: individually awesome with unique characteristics.

However, there are specific times in our lives when we do not feel so wonderful or powerful. Certainly living through a marital break-up caused all sorts of unpleasant feelings to surface, sometimes all at once. We thought we were never going to feel good about ourselves again. Especially if it was a first marriage or a long marriage, we may have believed we just couldn’t make it on our own. We didn’t have enough of anything. Not enough know-how. Not enough money. Not enough looks, education, or a home. Not enough of the one hundred other things we could think up. 

That is how twisted our minds can get when we are under stress, can not think, and don’t even understand ourselves, never mind the other person. But it is of utmost importance to remember, that we were created to be wonderful women and therefore, we still are wonderful, powerful, and enough in every way--no one can take that away from us!

Even if the person we lived with never appreciated our true beauty, talents, or gifts, who says we have to accept that lack of vision? We have a chance to shatter any distorted image of ourselves by recognizing:

• Our value is not dependent on another person, whether that person is a former spouse, authority figure, or parent. On this earth, only you know you. With that kind of power, we can achieve more than we ever have before. Begin by enjoying just the next twenty-four hours. And then the next, and then. . .       
• Love is a two-way street. One person alone can not injure a relationship. This is probably the most painful, but necessary, paradox to face otherwise there is no forgiveness in either direction. If we stop ignoring this key responsibility point, we will save thousands in therapy bills and be much better off.                                       
• Nothing and no one can ever make God turn His back on us. Not even ourselves. The good news is no matter what we have done or how we lived or didn’t live our past lives, He accepts us unconditionally with loving arms. He loves us. Period. We are His precious daughters!                                                
• No power in heaven or earth can cut us off from His love. Once we ask the Lord into our hearts, He is there forever. He is there to guide us. He is there to protect us. He is there to provide for us. He is there. Always.

Time to go out now and buy a kaleidoscope to celebrate our beautiful and powerful form!

Tip of the Day

So now that we are settled into correct thinking and on our own, we can do our souls good by drawing near to God and preparing for heaven (our permanent home) while on earth. Nothing will give us more faith, hope, and confidence in knowing that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NLT).