Sunday, February 28, 2010

Crystal Clear

Pictures say a thousand words. Pictures tell all. Pictures make it crystal clear. Well this was true for me as I viewed pictures my daughter posted on FB and ug......very rarely do I like pictures of myself. The message was crystal clear that something needed to be done to make me feel better about the way I look, feel better about the way I feel in my clothes and just basically feel better. I have been putting off getting back into a routine of exercise as I exercised excuses that kept me from just moving around for 45 mins to an hour. Well I started about three weeks ago mixing up my routine, pressing into sore muscles and forcing the issue in my mind. All I have to do is look at those pictures as my reminder and I am back to discipline, back to consistency and back to working out. Why am I telling you this? God always uses, for me at least, every aspect of my life as an opportunity to teach me something. So I am lying on my floor doing my Bender Ball method after Billy Blanks had kicked my rear starring up at my grandmother's chandelier that hangs in my bedroom. I sat there starring at it facing it one way:


The light coming in from the window is hitting the chandelier and being absorbed and looks flat and non reflective. Then the exercise I was doing called for me to switch sides therefore switching my viewpoint of the chandelier looking back toward the source of light seeing the reflection through the chandelier. This is what I saw:

Now it may be a suttle difference but I think you will agree. The light hitting the chandelier on one side does look a little different than the light coming out on the other side. This picture suggests to me that as we receive His light, that light from Him is then reflected even more beautifully when we share it with others. His light is beautiful, don't get me wrong, and the glory of His splendor ever radiant. For me it is the ability to see, the opening of my eyes to see His light shining brightly for me to see, for me to share to reflect His glory in my life.
I encourage you this day and every day to "Let His light shine before all men in your life that they will see your good works that Glorifies your Father in heaven". Our reflection should be Jesus. His light takes His pure beautiful light that comes in as one light, as it does in a prism, then as it is reflected and turns into a rainbow of colors opening up and spreading that light through a variety of ways. Our walk, our lives, our speech, our service and our love are just a few of the ways we can reflect His light. As His light comes in do I allow Him to shine it in the places that need His light? Do I allow Him to shine in my dark places that I think I am keeping hidden? He has already seen those places and asks us to open up our hearts to receive His light so that what needs to be revealed can be revealed.


"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ". 2 Cor.4:6. Is His light shining out of your darkness? Out of perhaps a dark season in your life, a dark place where He can claim victory, and out of our hearts for others to see Him. Open your eyes to His light. See what God is trying to show you in every day life. He can use anything, any circumstance, and any situation to His Glory, just as He is glorified in Jesus' life, death and resurrection so too can He shine through you.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Universal Moisturizer


I was impressed today with all the choices as I scoured the shelves at Walgreens looking for cleanser and moisturizer that did not have petroleum products or alcohol in them. It was impossible. Even the ones that are "doctor recommended" have it and it is one of the first ingredients so you know it has a lot. At least that is what they tell us with cereal. If sugar is one of the first ingredients then it has the highest percentage.....anyway I had my reading glasses on and I had a handy dandy magnifying glass that is flat and flexible that I got somewhere so I keep it in my wallet for examining vintage designer jewelry. I kept looking and looking and all of them had it just about. I know from a sales pitch through one skin regime, which is no longer, that mineral oil is basically motor oil processed 7 times. On a motor oil container it clearly says something to the affect : CAUTION CANCER CAUSING MATERIAL when exposed to skin for long periods of time. Or as Wikipedia puts it, "Mineral oil or liquid petroleum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum based products from crude oil. ..." Ummmm no thanks. I don't want that going on my skin. So I went to my old stand by Neutrogena. My mother was a big supporter of Neutrogena and would stick it in my bath supplies when I went off to camp and people thought it was weird soap. It was ahead of its time I must say. I did not see any ingredient that resembled petro anything. Then I went to look for a moisturizer and could not find any without mineral oil or alcohol which totally confused me as to why they would put alcohol, a drying agent, in moisturizer. So I looked to Burt's Bees thinking ok this has to be all natural. Even the words "All Natural" can be deceiving so be careful. It too has denatured alcohol a derivative of ethanol another type of fuel that is poisonous. What the hec? It also has stearic acid in it which is used as a hardener of soaps and candles. Do I want something that will harden on my face? I still am at a loss and think I should probably just use good old olive oil although it as been known by some to clog pores. What to do?
All this fuss came about when I started to try a new soap called Wonderbar. I am loving the results of the healing process as it sluffs off years hopefully. My dermotologist wanted to do the acid treatment, the 12 day things that hurts like hec, and when you are finished you have "babies butt" skin. It just seems so evasive and harsh. So I am trying this Wonderbar and hopefully getting the same result but in a slower amount of time. The problem I have is that I am not a walking Wikipedia so have just spent a good amount of money on cleansers, potions and makeup that now I find out may not be what I want to use on my skin afterall.

This made me think about the healing balm I have read about in the Word of God. It made me realize how important it is to write His word on your heart so that you are ready to give an answer (my Wikipedia) when you need it or someone else does. I like to think that I am pretty informed about different things especially health issues and how to take care illnesses etc. Over the years that became second nature as I took care of six children which kept our doctor bills down. So should the Word be, like second nature, that we may call upon it, call upon Jesus who is the Word, when we need a question answered. I came to another realization that many times when I pray I just tell God, "Here's what I need Lord, now I give it to you so you can take care of it". I know I can do that with God, but I think He is also showing me in this lesson to tell Him less and ask Him more often, "God what do You think?, God what should I do here?" I have spent a great deal of my time telling people, mostly children, what do to, where they need to go, what to wear, blah blah blah and I forget to ask God and instead I tell Him. So why don't I ask the Lord more often what He thinks because I value what He thinks? Cause I think I know the answer when really He knows the question before I even ask.
So now I know about soaps and lotions which I sort of knew, but now really know. I will continue to really know His Word which I am coming to find out I sort of knew and really want to know more. His Word is pure water to my soul, a healing balm with no additives, poisons, preservatives, fillers, toxins or chemicals. We are all different, our ingredients and what makes us uniquely His, but He is always the same universal moisturizer (if you please) that is the healing balm that brings life eternal as His only ingredient.