I wrote a few months ago about a unique gift a friend gave me. It was a heart-shaped piece of wood that formed because of two trees growing together. On one side of the heart, there is a heart ingrained in the wood. You can read about it here. The pictures I posted in the reflection were before I decided to preserve it.
Before refining
My husband sanded the heart a few times until it seemed perfected, making it smooth as silk, getting rid of all the rough and dirty areas. He then spray-painted it with clear enamel. The wood kept soaking in the enamel, so several coats were needed to give it the beautiful luster it has now.
The heart seems to display even more beauty and vibrancy now. The grain of the wood and the cracks, made naturally while the wood was settling, are accented even more.
The process of preserving this masterpiece of God’s great love made me think of the parallel of our relationship with God. God always loves us unconditionally, but He also wants us to grow deeper in our relationship with Him as well as in our personal growth.
–God refines us.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. –1 Peter 1:7 (NIV)
God refines our character, which helps to build our faith. It is not always pleasant, but we can give glory to God as we see Christ revealing Himself in our lives.
–God smooths out our rough edges while drawing us closer to Him.
The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. –Isaiah 26:7 (NIV)
As God smooths our rough edges, we are brought to oneness with Him, and we are made righteous.
–God makes us shine.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” –Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)
God’s glory shines through us as we continually draw closer to Him.
–We need to be continually saturated with God’s Word.
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. –Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV)
God’s Word needs to be in our hearts and minds to help keep our focus.
Indeed, God puts the finishing touches on our lives to make us shine for His glory!
Photo: Sunrise at the Sea of Galilee
This week be reminded to let God…
…refine you.
…smooth your rough edges.
…make you shine.
…saturate you with His Word.
Let the radiance of God shine through you~
Be beautiful and vibrant with God’s glory~
Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. –Isaiah 60:5 (NIV)
Christine, isn’t it amazing that if we let God work through us, let God smooth our rough edges, we’re so much more likely to become more and more like Him? I’m so thankful for your words…….for some reason they always seem to be what’s needed at the right time.
Yes, Jeff, you are so right that we become more and more like God when we let Him work out our imperfections! That is so true. Thank you so much for faithfully reading and sharing. It is a blessing to see God use these reflections to further His kingdom and encourage others. I am grateful for the way you radiate God to me~
Great having you back!
Thanks so much, Uncle Pete. It is great to be back! Thanks for reading, even if it was about another heart! 😉 Thanks for radiating God to me today with the phone call. You blessed my day. Enjoy soaking up that sunshine.
Yes! It is great having you back.janet hao
Thanks so much, Janet! I appreciate your encouragement. I hope you and your family are all doing well. Blessings to you~
Beautiful reflections to inspire us all! Thank you for sharing my friend💛
Thank you so much for faithfully reading and sharing, Kathy! Thank you for radiating God in my life and inspiring me to do the Bible in a Year too! Blessings to you~
I honestly was just thinking, haven’t heard from Christine in a while, and then you popped up in my mailbox! Guess God knew I was ready for a new reading!
Thanks for sharing that God moment, Jen, which encourages me. Yes, I took three weeks off as I had the privilege of experiencing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land! God was so good working everything out perfectly. You’ll be hearing more about it soon! Thanks for faithfully reading and sharing. God bless!
Welcome back. I was so happy to see an email for a new post.
Thank you so much, Gabby! It feels great to be writing again! Thank you for faithfully reading, sharing, and the encouragement you provide to me. I am grateful. Blessings to you and your family~