Finger Painting

I didn't set out to write a blog today, I really didn't. Too much for a Facebook status though.....

God knows my heart. He knows when my words get jumbled and more of Melissa comes out than Him. He knows what I struggle with and how hard I have to fight against keeping my flesh silent. It seems like the more I press in towards Him, the more the enemy presses on towards me. That's the battle going on in the world we live in. The more we set out to follow God in obedience, the more the enemy sets out to defeat us.  When we are defeated, we are powerless to do anything because we don't feel like we can. It's at that point the best we can do is to stand up and keep walking.

Why don't you just trust me? The Father asked His child one day. You keep walking like you know the way, but then you start to feel the heat and stop and take a seat. You look it over and start to doubt, even though I never called you out. You see a mess and I see a message. I never said do it all, I just said you had to call. Trust me, I know your heart. All I need is for you to do your part. Peace will come when you learn to rest, that I simply do know what's best. ~God

How many remember finger painting when you were younger? The kids put their fingers in the paint and put it on the paper and just have fun. Most of the time, especially when they are younger they don't set out with a set picture in mind. They just know they are enjoying the moment. In the end, they always bring the picture up for you to see. To you it is a masterpiece. It may not look like, but because the child(whom you love and care for) made the painting and enjoyed it...you see something beautiful in it. You find what they made and you talk about it even though your actual eyes may not be able to see it.

Start the day like a child finger painting. Put your fingers in it and just have fun creating. At the end of the day see the day like the parent sees the child's masterpiece. It may not always look like something beautiful, but if you gave it your all and did what you could, it is a masterpiece to God. See He sees your heart through the colors of the day. He knows why you did what you did. He knows why you thought what you did, why you said what you said, and why you went where you went. He knows you. He doesn't see a jumble full of colors on a piece of paper, He sees the heart through them and to Him it is a masterpiece.

Ask Him for His eyes to look back at the day. You may feel like you made a mess of it. You may can only look back and see the places where you jumbled your words because you were nervous(in a webinar that was recording). God sees courage and knows you did better than you think. God also sees the conversations you had and He knows the heart behind them.

If you haven't figured out yet through some of these blogs, I am awfully hard on myself. God only expects me to be me, the me He made me to be. I still struggle with expecting myself to be the me others want me to be. I don't know if that struggle will ever completely go away, but it is getting easier. Some days are harder than others. God give me holy duct tape and take it off when you want it off. Oh how I must make Him laugh and probably look at me and go Melissa really. I ask Him to shine through, yet sometimes more Melissa gets out than God. He sees I'm strong enough to climb the mountain and run the race, yet I want to complain about every pain and hurt.  Oh I'm learning.....

As Joyce Meyer likes to say, I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be. I'm not perfect by any means, but I am learning that there are lessons to be learned in those imperfect moments. He transforms the image I see daily, but I have to remember to look in His mirror. I'm a Princess loving some grace. Grace really is an amazing thing and I will forever smile on that note ;-)

Focused on the journey,
Melissa