By Cyndi

Yesterday I saw an incredible view driving east across the bridge to my neighborhood. In my rearview mirror the evening sunset brought beautiful orange hues in the clouds with sun rays streaming out behind them. It appeared gorgeous to me.

Papa said He painted it for me. (Yes, I consider myself one of those people who like to call Father God “Papa” or “Daddy.”)  All of those beautiful colors and designs were delightfully strewn on His canvas in the sky.

This morning I held my kitty — actually he clamored onto my desk proceeding to knock things off as I tried to focus on work, then I held him.  As a result, I closely looked at his fur.  It’s fascinating how an animal’s fur looks like one color up to an imaginary “line” then changes to another. And it’s all done by tiny little strands. Each delicate fiber may have different colors on it, but when it’s all put together, very distinct markings materialize on a beautiful feline! It’s amazing!

Papa creates some wonderfully amazing things, don’t you think?

And you are one of those things.

You are a wonderfully amazing person whom He chose to create. Why? Because He loves you unimaginably.

Can you imagine every sunrise, every sunset, every furry creature, rainbow, canyon, babbling brook, ocean wave, bird and song you’ve ever seen and heard all rolled into one human being? Mankind demonstrates the epitome of His goodness! (Gen.1:31)

I believe there is nothing in this world to truly describe how much He loves us. That song Indescribable encapsulates much of this thought. However, I think His love goes beyond indescribable. His love is unimaginable — it’s more than, “we cannot describe it,” we can’t even imagine it!

It’s all of nature, its beauty and wonder; all of mathematics and science, its finite calculations and laws; all of literature, its prose, rhythm, and story; all of art and music, its depth, textures, emotions, and patterns. God’s love includes all of this and so much more! It’s beyond our imagination and comprehension!  

And to whom does He desire to bestow this love upon? You and me.

Oh, how He loves you and me! “Oh,” is the best word we humans can come up with to declare this unimaginable divine love.

Glorious sunsets. Furry kitties.    I love both of these things and Papa God knows this.

Think about all the things you love. Turn that love around towards you and go beyond it. Way beyond it. God loves you unimaginably. Receive it.

By Cyndi

When you look in the mirror, who do you see? What do you call yourself?

If you’re a woman like me, there’s a good chance that you do a turn to the side (for the side view), or an upclose poke on the face (for wrinkles) first before anything else. Seconds later, words come into the mind: overweight, big thighs, droopy arms, crow’s feet, double chin, grey hair, etc. which quickly leads to the formal pronouncement: “I’m ________.” (Am I the only one who does this?)

I recently went through a program where you were not supposed to look at yourself in the mirror for 30 days except only to brush your hair or teeth. Boy, was that hard! I didn’t realize I was into judging my appearance that much until I couldn’t look in the mirror—it had become a habit! A bad one at that!

Stop right now, take a minute, and think of what you typically call yourself. What words to you use to describe yourself?

Did you do it? If not, stop now, and think about it.

Dear reader, what came out? Was it positive? Negative? Was it only about your physical characteristics? Your attributes? Your abilities? Your job/position?

Now here it comes…wait for it….

What do you think Father God says about you? Don’t you think we should be telling ourselves what He thinks about us? After all, He is our Creator. I think He knew exactly what He was doing when He made us.

Plus, He’s always with us. (Matt. 28:20) He’s walking side-by-side with us everyday, living life with us through the good times and the bad. He sees our struggles and our mountaintop glories. And He always has good things to say about us.  

There is a Father’s Love Letter written by Barry Adams which has some of those wonderful things He says about us. If you’ve never heard or seen this, I highly recommend you take some time and check it out. 

I also found a wonderful father/daughter routine of some daily affirmations that may uplift your spirit and give you some ideas of how to view yourself in the mirror.  

I realize our self-image can be damaged from life experiences; mine was. And there are times when I still struggle with the figure I see in the mirror, though it’s getting better. As I continue to receive how much God loves me everyday, I know I’m making progress with that view in the mirror.

 

By Cyndi

When I was reading through the story of the Last Supper recently and saw where John the disciple was reclining on Jesus’ bosum (Jn. 13:23), I was reminded of how God designed us to live with tangible, affectionate touch. In fact, hugs in a family express love and are a sign of emotional and spiritual health.

Years ago when I was a school teacher, we occasionally were required to take classes having to do with childcare.

One such childcare class was directed towards those who handled smaller children. Now, I don’t remember much from this class, however, one thing was reiterated throughout the entire lecture — children need safe, affectionate touch to stay healthy and learn.

Over the years there have been experiments on babies who were not allowed to be touched or nurtured in any way, and in one experiment, here in the US in 1944, it permitted the little ones to be fed, bathed, and have all their physical needs met, but nothing else. No talking, cooing, smiling, or communicating with them was allowed beyond that which was only necessary. The results? At least half of the babies had died within four months. The study determined they died from a lack of affection.

As teachers we were instructed that affection was necessary for growth and learning. Every child—and in reality, every person—needs to be hugged at least 8-13 times a day, depending on which studies you review. And if you do a quick search on the internet, it is quite easy to find numerous reports that show how vital touch is to our health.

Just a month or two ago my mother went to a new doctor and what do you think was the first thing she noticed most from her appointment? The doctor made proper physical contact. He gently touched her hand or arm when speaking to her, using it as a sign of tenderness and caring. She was so used to many physicians being too “clinical” and not expressing a personal genuineness about them, it made a deep positive impression upon her, especially as a widow who lives by herself without much day-to-day physical contact. She viewed him as very kind and considerate.

I remember as a teenager, while doing homework on the dining room table (pre-computer days), my father would lean over my shoulder, gently touching my back as he would ask me if I needed any help. This was an meaningful way he communicated affection to me.

Our sense of touch is extremely important. Jesus knew this too. We see examples of Him healing through touch, touching little children. He even touched a leper and allowed a prostitute to touch Him!

So with your spouse, children, family, and friends whom you care about and know really well — touch them! Touch their shoulders, touch their arms, hold their hands, pat them on the back, play footsie! Try to give and get at least 8 hugs a day. God knows it will keep both you and them healthy and strong.

By Cyndi

This is the title to a famous sermon Jonathan Edwards preached in 1741 that has been observed to define much of the Great Awakening revivals in the early American Colonies. Fortunately, revelation is progressive, because just from looking at the title alone, I have to agree with the sinners part, but not the angry God part. I hope I don’t ruffle your feathers, dear reader, but here’s why.

First of all, the sinners part. Yes, it’s true, we’re all sinners saved by grace. With the recent passing of Billy Graham, those that spoke of him always mention his humility and how he constantly reiterated his need for Jesus. I agree — we need Jesus. In my thoughts, my words, my spending, my driving…. I need Jesus. I’m not perfect. Be that as it may, I’d like to share a verse with you.

Genesis 1:27 & 31—So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

I think we would all agree that we’re created in His image. And after He created us, what did He say we were? Not only good, but very good. Did you ever notice that little word “very” in verse 31? I only did so recently. So it’s like we have God’s DNA in us. Our very essence is good.

Now, of course, that got blown out of the water when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. Their lack of trusting in a good, good Father brought sin into our linage. (thanks guys) So when we look in the mirror we can say, yes, we absolutely need Jesus to restore us back to the Father and wipe away our sins. But we can also say we’re made in the image of Almighty God Himself, Who is perfect. We are His perfectly designed masterpieces.

Now let’s get to the second part of this sermon title—the angry God part. Where did this come from?

Most of us look to the Old Testament to find His anger and I’m not looking to get into a full-fledged theological debate, but taken in context, don’t all parents get upset with their kids sometimes? Especially with the free will He so generously bestowed upon us. He didn’t create robots; He created kids (in His image). Notwithstanding, as many of us know, our kids don’t always make the best choices.

But even more than this, let’s look at the New Testament. Many say Jesus came as our brother to protect us from this angry Father. Yet, when you search the scriptures, we see that Jesus was the exact representation of His Father (Col. 1:15—“the image of the invisible God”). He even said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

Matthew 11:29 tells us that Jesus was meek and lowly of heart. So if He’s the same as the Father, then the Father is meek and lowly of heart, right? When we see Jesus allowing the children to come to Him, or healing all the sick, this is exactly what Father would be doing—they’re the same. (John 5:19-20)

Jesus weeps over Lazarus (Jn. 11:35) and has such compassion for Jerusalem, His people (Luke 13:34). Where did He learn this from? His Father. He is the expressed image of God. Father wanted to reveal Who He genuinely was to His kids on earth.

John 14:6—“ I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father but by me.”

Jesus came to restore back our relationship with the Father. He came to show us God’s not some big angry judge in the sky looking to bonk us on the head for every single thing we do wrong. No. Father wants to hold us in His arms and touch us, even as Jesus allowed a woman of dishonor to wash His feet with her perfume and hair (John 12:3). Father God, just like Jesus, is gentle, loving, and compassionate.

I believe a newer version of this sermon could be entitled—“Sinners in the Hands of a Loving Father.”