Looking Upon Its Stature

We had already made the decision. This poor, diseased rose bush was going to come out. I had pruned it within an inch of its life to get rid of the speckled leaves. It was just time.

And then there were a dozen tiny buds on each of three stalks. At first I didn't even notice them. And then they exploded into petals of soft pink that make my day every time I see them.

We had written off this pitiful rose bush because it wasn't looking or producing the way we assumed it should.

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

It's one thing to have a judgemental eye about the productivity of a plant, but it's quite another when we're looking at people. We assume age, health, position, finances and first impressions dictate how effective someone will be in serving the Lord. But that's looking at the outward appearance.

God is looking at the heart - the hidden woman that the world never sees. Even our own sisters in Christ may never know how we've been a prayer warrior, a supporter of the pastor's family, the cleaner-upper around the church property or just an effectual witness in our own homes. Those things will never be seen on our face or in our height.

So instead of just deciding to dig up the rose bush that is another person's service to the Lord, let's water it and place it in the sunshine. God may have an intensely precious plan in mind if we'll just help Him cultivate it.

Comments

  1. BarbaraMay 30, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    It is so beautiful too, thanks for sharing this interesting story, lots of hugs, Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  2. LauraMay 31, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    It even made it through a night of terrible storms! You just never know...

    Thank you for your encourageing words, Barbara. They help get through the day!

    Have a fabulous day in the Lord.
    Laura

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit
Read more