My husband and I have been watching a talent show that comes on twice a week, where contestants have been given the opportunity to showcase their talent. Every contestant that is presented gives a soliloquy introducing themselves and within the context of EACH introduction makes it a point to focus a moment of tremendous sadness or personal tragedy that has happened to them before showcasing their talent. As my husband watched it, he said to me, “I would like to ask the producers if this is a pre-qualification to being on this show. Why can’t they just be happy for the opportunity to get this far with their talent, express that and perform? Everyone in life has something sad that has happened to them or someone they love. Why do they make it a point to have them focus on that?”
I have to agree with him. We can choose to go through life with a scope like focus on the thorns, or we can instead choose to focus on the beauty of the blossom. WE CHOOSE WHAT OUR PERSPECTIVE WILL BE. It is a choice. The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is praise worthy, dwell on these things.”
We live in a fallen world. God warned Adam what would happen if they ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
“… But you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)
Their sin resulted in a world that is sinful and full of sickness, disease and death, it is a “fallen” world, the results are what we see all around us. But here is the GOOD NEWS:
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON? Are you focusing on the THORNS or the BLOSSOM?
In this life there is ALWAYS something you can find to be miserable about. Not one of us does not have a sad story to share – either about something that happened to us or something that happened to a loved one. We live in a fallen world it is not hard to find something sad to dwell on. But God is saying to you this day – CHOOSE LIFE! CHOOSE JESUS! STOP FOCUSING ON THE NEGATIVE. TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. HE HAS PROVIDED A WAY! Jesus is saying to you this day:
“I am the way the truth and the life…” (John 14:6)
I am an 11 year breast cancer survivor. God healed me. Cancer wrecked serious havoc on my life in every way imaginable. I have had people come to me, once they know that I am a survivor and ask me, “Were you worried about dying?” My response was, “No, I was not. I was concerned with LIVING.” You see the Bible tells me:
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is to gain.” (Philippians 1:22)
I gave my life to Christ at the age of 21. I GAVE HIM MY LIFE. I made a conscientious decision to turn my life over to the One who gave His life for me. Who died on the Cross for forgiveness of my sins. I prayed:
“Lord, thank You for dying on the cross for forgiveness of my sins. I believe You were born of the virgin Mary, lived and died on the cross for forgiveness of my sins. I believe you rose again and are even right now seated at the right hand of the Father and that You will come again in the resurrection. Come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name I pray.”
So my life is not my own. To live IS Christ. To die is to gain – meaning that absent from the body is present before the Lord. (Look at 2 Corinthians 5:8)
Cancer was awful. I don’t wish it on anyone. It is a horrible, awful disease. But life – is beautiful! I always tell people who ask what it is like – I say, “before cancer, life was in beautiful water colors, after cancer life is in vivid hues.” I do not take ANYTHING for granted. We live as if we are ALL promised tomorrow – here is the thing, WE ARE NOT. Every day is a gift from God. We need to treat it as such. HOW ARE YOU LIVING? Are you focusing on the thorns and not the blossom?
Here is a perfect example of Jesus did this:
“… Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM. His focus was on the blossom! It COULD have been on the fact that He was going to have to die a horrific death, NOT FOR ANYTHING HE DESERVED, but for us!
Jesus focused on the joy. If that doesn’t make you want to praise Him and thank Him – I don’t know what will. Jesus also said:
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I think one of the sweetest way of worshiping the Lord – is by living life FULLY in Him. Focusing on the blossoms and laying EACH thorn that you encounter in this life before the foot of His cross. Let your life be a sweet fragrance to God. Recognize the thorns, but DON’T focus on them. Refer to them if you need to, to extend the right hand of fellowship behind you to help someone else that is going through what you have gone through – that shows compassion and understanding. This is using past situations to assist someone else IN LOVE. That is different. God allows us to go through situations to help someone else in their own journey. That’s not focusing on the thorns. That’s walking in love and compassion. What I’m talking about is trusting that God will get you through this journey called life – remember that the Bible also says:
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know fully even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Yes, there are plenty of hardships and sad things we experience and go through in life – instead of dwelling on them, I say this not judging, I say this as having been someone who has gone through it. We don’t always have the answer of the “why” of it – it’s an awful thing to lose someone we love to sickness, illness, disease, death, I’m not belittling tragedies, I’m saying God wants you to focus on HIM. Every day is a gift from God. Let’s focus on the blossom – because it’s beautiful. You are beautiful. You are a one-of-a-kind blossom that God saw fit to create! Lift up your face to the Son (and yes I meant to write it that way…) Allow the beauty of He who created you to shine! If your planted in Him, you are in GOOD soil! You are strongly rooted in Christ! Allow the beauty of Who He made you to be shine forth and radiate the love of Christ. Radiate the very essence of Him in you! Let your life be a fragrant offering to those around you so that they themselves want what you have – and that is Christ in you. You are His beautiful fragrant blossom. Live as such, your beauty comes from Him. Live accordingly, it’s what He wants He died for you to do. LIVE.
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