Embracing your Brush Stroke

God has placed his unique brush stroke on you.

When re-doing my bedroom furniture, I was chalk paint happy and loved how it came out. However, my husband wanted to help and I let him paint one drawer. Admitedly, I was afraid that he wouldn’t follow the grain pattern right or allow what I thought was the right amount of wood show through the paint.

Time allowed the paint to dry and the final look to be revealed. Brady put the drawers back together and assembled the dresser to put my creative heart in awe. Except, I saw the one drawer he painted. It was completely slathered in paint and looked different than all of the ones I painted.

In art, brush strokes are a “the configuration given to paint by contact with the bristles of brush”, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Simply put, this is the finishing touch of the painter’s creativity,  the remaining shape once the brush is lifted up.

There may be many a hundred thousand others with the same PAINT as you,  but there is no one else who possesses the same brush strokes that you do.

The world needs your originality, your talents and your inimitable anointing.

The thing that is distinct about you is what sets you a part.

 It brings a unique emphasis to your calling.

Instead of talking yourself out of doing what you were created to do, it’s time to

OWN YOUR BRUSH STROKE.

Perhaps you are trying to use someone else brush strokes because it works for them. 

My three year old son has a pair of shoes he loves to wear, but they aren’t quite his size. So every time he goes to jump on a rock or skip down the road, he slips and falls down. 

Perhaps you also are wearing shoes that don’t fit. 

You keep falling down when you try to run, you scrape your knees when you try to land the jump. It’s not that what you are doing is wrong, it’s that you can’t do it right because you don’t have the gear meant for you. God has given you specific talents and ways that may not look like other people’s ways. 

Perhaps you are trying to wear the kings armor, but you are struggling to carry it, like David. (Yet, he opted out of the armor and used his sling and some stones because that was what he knew already worked for him. )

Don’t be discouraged. It was never meant to fit you!

Instead, ask the Lord, what is YOUR way for me? What is your strategy FOR ME? 

“What is my brush stroke?” And as you discover it, embrace it and let it shine!

The world needs the light you possess and the way you shine it.

Will you set aside the kings armor and pick up your sling, even if it feels silly?

You never know what may come of your courage. 

 

 

Fully Loaded

I heard a whisper,  “FULLY LOADED”.

What exactly does that mean?

It sounds powerful, it sounds ready.

It sounds as if there’s no empty space inside and no detail unattended. 

Fully equipped. Fully stocked. Like a powerful weapon. A gun.

When it’s fully loaded, it’s ready for battle.

 When it’s empty, it’s nothing more than great power gone to wastecompletely useless.

The time has come to WATCH and PRAY.

and prayer is an ammunition unlike any other.

The Lord is calling us to wake up, rise up and get filled up.

Living a lifestyle of prayer will change you and equip you.

Are you ready to live your life fully loaded;  ready to be shot out with power and accuracy?

Then pray: 

Lord, fill me up with your anointing.  Let your Word be stored up in my heart that I may be ready and fully equipped on the day you are ready  to fire me into the world.

I don’t want to miss the target when my trigger is pulled because there was no ammunition found inside.

I refuse to be great potential found lacking, but dangerous in the right hands.

Fill me up, Lord.
Amen.

 

Purple Flowers

It had been a few days since my husband bought me these purple flowers. He brought them home, cut the ends, put them in a vase with water and displayed them for my enjoyment.

They have been sitting on my table, causing smiles when I catch a glimpse throughout the day.

Yesterday I was tidying up the house and I had to think twice about the flowers. They appeared to be fine, but after examination, they were starting to smell and the leaves on the stem, to wither.

So, I picked them up, washed out the vase and added fresh water. I cut the stems and picked off the dead leaves so that the flowers were healthy and had everything they needed.

I realized that the flowers had been trying to survive off of old water.

Though, at a glance, they appeared healthy, they were slowly drying up.

After I pruned the flowers and displayed them back on my table, the Lord immediately began speaking to my heart.

This is what it is like when we try and run our lives on old water.

We are slowly drying up. We may appeared to be okay, but are there parts of our lives that are starting to get a stench? Do we need our stems cut so that we can soak up the water easily again?

Getting our leaves pulled off and our stems cut may be difficult for us, but it is necessary if we are to be living connected to the water, our source of spiritual life.

We cannot thrive on stagnant waters, only attempt to survive.

When we remain connected to the water, immersed in it, and it is being renewed daily, then we don’t need to do the extra things to be pruned.

When there are parts of my life that start to stink, I have to take notice that I’m trying to live off of murky water.

How sweet is the fresh, living water! It is a noticeable fragrance that exudes when our spirit is daily renewed in the showers of the Word and prayer.

Take a moment to examine yourself: Are you feeling like you are lacking spiritual refreshing and parts of your life are thirsty? Get immersed in Christ and do it daily.

Lord, Let me be nourished by a water that is pure and new, life giving and sustaining. Help me to daily connect with you and be renewed by your Word, that is living and active. Help me to choose to spend time speaking to you and listening for your voice. I do not want the stench of the world, but to exude the sweet fragrance that comes from being with you.

Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. – John 15:4 (AMP)

 

Grow Where You Are Planted

“Take root, my darling”, He whispers in the silence.

It’s all too simple to desire other-ness, that which is other than where we are or what we are doing.

Sometimes I feel stuck or that I’m not where I think I belong.

However, I believe that God plants us in places that He sees fit.

He knows the whole picture, we are just the creation. So, this morning, as I spent time with my creator, He urged:

“Take root, my darling.”

He uses the soil to grow us and the environment to allow us to bloom.

But we must be grounded, planted, and rooted in the place that He has us right now.

We must know that He is trying to grow us in all the right ways, even if we can’t see it.

There is no growth for a flower that is not planted.

He speaks, “Walks in my ways and you will flourish.”

I thank you, Lord, that you are trust-worthy and a part from you I have nothing good.

I will choose to trust you and take root in the present soil.

I will praise you throughout the journey and during the growing seasons.

I will grow where you plant me; I do not know where else could be a better place.

Lord, help me to follow your path and not be distracted by the things that do not matter. I love you. Thank you for delighting in me.

 

Parker’s First Birthday

Our family celebrated little Parker’s first birthday this month!

I cannot believe my sweet baby is a walking, gappy teeth toddler.

I have brought this up before, but I absolutely love the “deeper things” in life. One of those deeper things I like to remember is the meaning behind names and words.

Not only did I love the name Parker, when Brady and I were picking a name for our son, but I absolutely loved that Parker meant “Light”; And that is exactly what he is.

There is not one place we go that Parker isn’t the center of attention. People are drawn to him. He always has the biggest grin and loves to wave “hi” at everyone he sees. He laughs, he snuggles, he plays peek-a-boo whether we are trying to play it with him or not. If there has ever been a sweet and joyful child, it is my little boy, Parker. He has been a light to our family and a blessing to this momma heart.

He is a cool little dude, you can find him swaying his little body and finding the beat to a song when it comes on. He is crazy about music! I am convinced that he is going to be a drummer.

 


Sweet little Parker, if one day you are looking back and reading this, please know that your dadda and I absolutely adore you. You are our answered prayer, our little miracle and our joy baby. You shine so bright and we know that you are and are going to be something special!

Never stop shining, my son.

xoxo,

Momma Bear

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