She is a mom, wife, and passionate believer that Jesus changes everything.
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“He has made everything beautiful in His time.”
Can we just stop and have a praise moment?
I mean this statement is an amazing reality and truth:
“He has made everything beautiful in His time.”
Our God is so good that He created all of us, everything we see, and is redeeming it as we speak.
He has not left us to death and decay, nor hurt and pain. No, He is working in us and making us beautiful.
Thank you God!
No matter where you may be in your personal journey, stopping and reflecting on the goodness of God and what He has and is doing is both a necessity and honoring to God.
Upon beginning my coloring sheet this week, I was immediately filled with a strong sense of gratitude. But after being interrupted for a while on this project, I returned to it and after sitting down with it again, my heart shifted to thoughts about the spiritual journey.
Because the spiritual journey is exactly what this piece of Scripture is about.
The Scripture for this week comes from Ecclesiastes 3:11, but for better understanding, I think it is beneficial for us to look at the section where this particular verse appears.
If you are just joining us this is the fourth coloring page in Spiritually Hungry’s series: Color Your Way Closer to God. Please feel free to check out the beginning of the series here. Before we continue, a quick reminder about the purpose this coloring series. At Spiritually Hungry, we love to connect with God in many, many different unique and creative ways. The purpose of the Color Your Way Closer to God series is to use coloring graphic representations of Scripture as a way to meditate on God’s word. In this way, we use it as a spiritual exercise, one with the intent to grow close to God by opening up to Him while coloring Scripture.
With that being said, back to the Scripture for this week:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 NIV
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.”
So…what is this amazing passage speaking to us?
This is a very important thought to consider, because sometimes when we just look at a verse without it’s context, we don’t fully grasp what the original author had intended in the writing.
Because we could easily look at this verse and not gather the depths and seriousness of the message. When we read it independent of the text, it kind of just seems like a nice thought.
But it’s so much more than that.
The author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, didn’t intend for this to be a nice thought. No, Solomon intends to portray the rollercoaster of life. In life, we have ups and downs, and in the midst of that (and through that) God walks with us – making us new, beautiful, restored.
And that’s the journey of our life. There will be joy and there will be pain. There will be death and there will be life. There will be arguments and there will be closeness.
But you are not alone.
In your darkest night, you are not alone.
In your greatest joy, you are not alone.
In your everyday monotonous life, you are not alone.
The King of kings is with you, walking beside you and living in you.
Scripture Background Side Note: Do you know what Solomon is referring to in this passage? Especially when he starts to speak about toil in the paragraphed Scripture section. Remember the curse? Remember Adam and Eve? Genesis 3. Let’s see what God says after He confronts Adam and Eve- after they ate the forbidden fruit: Genesis 3:17-19 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Did you notice the word toil in there? Did you notice how hard life is going to be for the first humans and those who follow? That’s the world we live in…Life is now hard and painful. Solomon speaks to this burden, as he calls it. But in the midst of it, he also recognizes that God is still good and that life doesn’t have to be so tough. Keep in mind a very important fact here – at the time that Solomon authored this passage, Jesus had not yet come to the world. This is before God’s presence was available to everyone through the Holy Spirit. God’s interaction with humanity at the point this was written was very orderly and confined. And yet, Solomon still has praise, encouragement and hope! How much more for us who have the labor of Jesus’ ministry living in us!
Yes it is true, Jesus’ fruit resides in you!
God is making you beautiful, He is restoring you and making you complete.
This is really good news!
As we walk closer with God, He removes the burdens from our intimacy with Him. He removes them one by one as long as we allow Him.
So as Solomon states: He makes everything beautiful in His time.
Well It is in His time.
I know what you may be feeling, I have thought it too, When will this difficult situation I’m facing be over? When will I just feel better or not have a problem to get over?
I remember this poignant time in my life where these very thoughts wouldn’t escape me. It was during this time that I remember my husband, Aaron, reminding me that our walk with God is a journey, not a race.
And that’s the message for you today, whatever you maybe facing know that it has purpose.
God is making you beautiful.
Sometimes we feel like we will never be healed, never be clean, never become beautiful. But that simply isn’t true.
The journey you are one has deep purpose.
Your story matters.
Your experience means something.
You deeply matter.
The world needs you and your relationship with God. For more about this see Spiritually Hungry’s post on: How to be the Light in the World.
And you profoundly need the awareness of God walking beside you – because He is.
This God of ours is simply amazing, He loves us so much and wants to bring His depth, healing and love into our lives.
He is offering that to you and the more you are open to that message your life will literally change.
Your perspective will alter.
Your attitude will be shaped.
And your experience, your life will be glorified.
He is making you beautiful.
So take heart, because this is true for you, no matter how you feel. Because truth isn’t based on feelings or experience but on reality. And it is a reality that God is making you a new creation.
Fix your eyes on that truth. Whether you are facing a major storm in your life or your life is just normal, God is walking beside you and offering you His love.
The point is to tune your heart and mind to this simple fact God is with you!
As long as you continue to focus your eyes on Christ, you can never go wrong.
No matter what you may face, when you realize who it is that walks with you, and lives inside you, then you can face the biggest giants and the most monotonous of chores.
Because everything has life and meaning and purpose when you awaken to the reality of Christ with you.
Journeying through life’s calm waters and storms with peace and ease begins by your focus on God.
Drawing your focus on God can be done in numerous countless ways. Below are a few examples:
1.) Using a variety of prayer practices that will help you remember God is with you and loves you.
We have a couple of free resources at Spiritually Hungry that can help you:
– 11 spiritual practices for healing
– 5 prayer practices for the busy lifestyle
2.) Find a mentor.
– This could be done through your local church.
– It could also be done by listening to sermons online or podcasts. One of my pastor mentors is Louie Giglio of Passion City Church, even though has no idea!
– Find good Christian authors and read their works. One of my biggest mentors in this area is Brennan Manning. I have read just about everything he has written and listened to a couple of his talks. He is perhaps most famous for the Ragamuffin Gospel. Brennan’s main message is that God loves you as you are and not as you should be, because you will never be as you should be.
3.) Find a friend who models Christ for you and ask if you can meet with them regularly to pray and talk about Christ, Christian practices, and life being a follower of Jesus.
4.) Get involved in a local church that embodies Christ for you.
5.) Worship, worship, worship. Not only once a week in church but wherever you go.
We have a post that will help you prepare you for church worship: How to Prepare your Heart for Worship
6.) Recognize God in creation.
Beware of the beauty that surrounds you from lakes to mountains, beaches to valleys. God’s creation is beautiful and points us back to Him.
7.) If you are married (or maybe a good friend or parent) start talking with your spouse about God.
Bring conversation about God’s movement in your own life. Start learning how to talk to each other about God’s presence in each others lives and in your relationship.
8.) Recognize God in His creation of humanity.
I know this can be a challenge because people can really not look like God. We are created in the image of God and God’s image can be found not only in the worshipper at church, but the vagrant on the corner. Look deeply for God’s face among humanity, because it is there.
9.) Dive deep into God’s word.
Start a routine of daily Bible reading that will help you to think and learn more about God. God’s word will wash over you all day and renew your thoughts. For some more information of Scripture study check out Spiritually Hungry’s post: 7 Tips for Studying Scripture.
So take heart this spiritual journey is not a sprint, but rather a long race.
It’s a journey where you walk closer and closer with the lover of you and that is what is making you beautiful.
Do you have any practices you use to focus on God? We would love to hear what works for you. Please comment below.
Thank you for sharing your journey and revelations. Your devotions and posts are just great!
Thank you ?
nice