Tag Archives: destiny

Can a leopard change it’s spots?

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ImageWhen I was little, I used to think the hymn “Jesus Paid it All” talked about leopard’s changing their spots in one of it’s verses.  That verse actually says, 

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Ohhhh, leper’s spots.  

That reminds me that as a child I also thought it was strange that we were “safe and secure from all alarms” (in the hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms).  Were they talking about fire alarms?  But I digress.

We sang “Jesus Paid It All” this past week in our worship time and that verse I mentioned really struck me anew.  While we were singing, God reminded me that He does the creating, changing, renewing, transforming in my heart and not me.  I waste energy and get discouraged trying to change myself, and inevitably facing disappointment when I mess up, when I should just be surrendering and trusting.

What a responsibility, to shape hearts and lives, to bring us into our destiny, designed before we were even born?  It’s a job God is more than happy to do but one we often try to take from Him.  He’s the potter, remember, and we’re the clay.  Just picture how funny it would look if a little lump of clay was trying to spin around on the potter’s wheel and shape itself.  Not possible.  If we don’t willingly be still in God’s presence and remain pliable, we may never become what He’s imagined us to be.  

Once again, I need to remember who I am in relation to who God is.  I need to remember my place.  I believe He has things for me to do, but being the one who transforms myself, or anyone else for that matter, isn’t one of them!  I’m glad!  What a relief.

You paid it all, Jesus, not me.  You are the Savior and Redeemer, the Healer and Restorer.  You have the power to change this leper’s (or leopard’s) spots and melt my heart of stone.  Thank you.

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:2 NLT

O Lord, you are our Father.
    We are the clay, and you are the potter.
    We all are formed by your hand.  Isaiah 64:8 NLT

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.  Zechariah 4:6 NIV

 

Sending up a light

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SPOILER:  This post contains some info about the recently released Disney movie “Tangled.”

I’m a sucker for a happy, fairy tale movie and just about always love Disney movies, so seeing “Tangled” seemed like a win/win prospect.  It exceeded my expectations – was funny, charming, visually stunning, and sweet.  One scene in particular made me really emotional and I felt pretty silly, so I tried to figure out why it moved me so.  If you know the story of Rapunzel, you know she was stolen away from her parents, the king and queen, when she was just a little baby.  She never knew any other parent than the old woman who kidnapped her and raised her as her own daughter, all the while locked up in a high tower.  Although she told Rapunzel over and over how she loved her and how the tower was for her protection, the truth was the old woman was selfish.  She didn’t care about Rapunzel at all.  She needed Rapunzel’s magical hair to renew her youth day by day so that she never grew old.

Every year on Rapunzel’s birthday, the king and queen held a ceremony in which they would send a paper lantern up into the night sky.  The people of the kingdom followed suit, so that hundreds of paper lanterns could be seen rising up off in the distance by Rapunzel, looking out of her tower window.  She wondered what it meant, what they were. Continue reading →

“I’ll tell you who you really are”

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?”  There seem to a rare, lucky few who actually know the answer to that question, even from a young age.  You know, kids that say they want to be a doctor and end up actually becoming one.  I was not one of those people.  In elementary school I knew I was going to be a veterinarian.  I liked animals so it just seemed natural.  My girls had various aspirations growing up like nursing, teaching, being an artist, etc.  I’ll never forget the surprise and giggles we got as a family when my youngest (about 10 at the time) once told us at the dinner table that she wanted to be a monster truck driver.   I think she’s changed her mind since then…I think. Continue reading →