Last week on two separate occasions, I had the opportunity to share with some lovely ladies a few illustrated insights that the Lord had blessed me with at times when I needed it most. I was reminded of how great of an Illustrator our Jesus Christ truly is and it isn't only intended for my spiritual eyes to marvel at His works. This thought pinged my heart because Illustrating isn't anything new for Him. This is something that Jesus has being doing for quite some time. In His time here on earth He spoke in parables in order for people to see the story He was sharing. Mark 4:33 HCSB says, "He would speak the Word to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand." The reason it pinged my heart is because I had taken what He illustrates for me for granted...it's something that makes me feel good when I am feeling down or lowly...it helps navigate me from point A to point B...it makes sense of this season to the next, strengthening me along the journey...it's what gets me through. His Truth and His daily reminders to me is what blesses me in my walk with Him. I have to be honest and say this is where I tend to take it for granted...in my daily walk. He shows me beautiful blessings along my way as I plow through my day. I am so focused on my tasks and often times things around me, not always the things He's showing me but the things I want to see obscure the blessings I see around me but don't recognize as blessings. This is what I totally take for granted. It's in quiet moments or in opportunities that I get to share my heart with a friend that Jesus will illustrate just what He has done and blessed me with. He paints a beautiful illustrated story for me to understand what I may have missed in a time that I overlooked it but He brings it to full picture now that He's got my full attention! These beautiful illustrations are not meant to stay with just me. It's meant to be shared. To encourage others. To bless others. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 AMP tells us, "Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words." This was an "A-HA!" moment.
I've always been a type of person who learns visually. Sitting down to study 'WORDS' and learning by a book full of words is tough for me. TOUGH...but, I can do it. Not my favorite thing to do...but, I will do it. Call me strange, but for not enjoying the studying of words I actually LOVE words. I love to look up the definition of them, what they mean, their origin and then I reflect on how it ties into what is being said in the sentence it is used in. BUT, I do not find pleasure in sitting down and reading word after word in a chapter book! Weird? Yes! I know. The Lord knows this, too, so I believe that's why He has blessed me for as long as I can remember with very vivid dreams and analogies that tie His Word into my life and whatever I may be dealing with at that time.
Now, picture books...I absolutely adore them! My most favorite kind of book! They are usually large enough to fit perfectly nestled into my lap as I flip page after page. Gazing upon each deliberately color filled illustration which is full of vividness and variety of effects that in the picture alone it speaks its story. One reason I love picture books is because they do not require an age or reading level to crack them open and enjoy. One picture book can easily entertain an audience ranging in ages and reading skills. I'm sure of this!
Understand, chapter books are very, very important. There are amazing, wonderful people God has blessed to be able to read, dissect, break down and define all those amazing words that I love so much. I am thankful for those people and stand amazed by them. I, however, do not hold the capacity to even pretend that I slightly understand how they do this. God blesses each of us with different gifts and talents so that we can be a blessing to others. Romans 12:6 in the Amplified says, "Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them..." Amen and thank you, Jesus!
I share all this to say, it takes me awhile to get things and fully grasp them, so I believe God uses analogies through vivid illustrations in my dreams or just in little moments that He seizes for me. Often times, He may have to hit the rewind button several times playing it over and over again until I finally see what He is showing me. It's always perfect. The timing. The exact moment. The place where I'm at. The season in my journey. He knows. Then I get to push that rewind button and begin to replay what He has already shown me being able to pause it as I steep in that moment that catches me, that speaks to me, that calls me to my kness. I get to see Him in all His Glory. I can almost visualize God and Me sitting on the couch about to watch the 'video' of what He just captured for me. As I'm watching it, He's watching me and my reactions and smiling upon me as He sees me seeing what He already saw for me. His strong arm goes around my shoulder as I begin to slump forward and inward toward Him in the moments of hardship and difficulty. He fully embraces me as He smiles over me expelling His radiance upon me as I rest in Him seeing how He's working in my life for the good. He continues to pour blessing upon me as I see it...I finally see it! His Face shines upon me. Oh, how I just adore those moments with Him! NOW, if I would only slow down in my hurried life in which I think the tasks of the day and my agenda are so dog-gone important that I need to fly by and see things in a blurred vision, oh, how much more calm would my soul be!! Goodness, Me!! Psalm 46:10 AMP, "Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God."
Did I happen to mention that I am a slow learner, too? I am very intelligent. But I most definitely seem to take a long time to learn something of great importance when it comes to my eternal life in Heaven. I get caught up so easily with things of this world that I know full well will not last and will absolutely pass away that I tend to put my spiritual well being on the back burner. 1 Corinthians 7:31 says, "...For this world in its present form is passing away." I'm reminded of God's Truth in Romans 12:2 which says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will." This, my friend, is my daily fight. My quiet time with the Lord. My time with Him to equip me, to strengthen me, to set my mind on Him. To keep my eyes fixed on Him. It's continual.
I like to think of my life as a book that God is writing my life-story in it, filling it up full of His Glorious artistic drawings that tell a story in itself! The amazing thing about my life-book is that it's on-going. It is still a work in progress. It is still being edited. Redrafted. New stories written and, of course, magnificent illustrations are filling the pages with such detail. Another great thing about this life-book is I don't have to wait until it's completed to begin turning the pages of it to look at them. One of my most favorite things to do is to turn the pages back and look at the previous chapters. There were some that were mundane but glimmers of God sparkled through revealing His Presence. There were some very exciting and celebratory times that God was front and center gracing us with ALL that He is. Other times were dark, scary, unsettling yet, again, God's Light was present in those times but just not recognized at that moment. Have you ever looked at a picture that you've looked at time and time again, but then you reflect upon that picture...you study it, and you find something that you hadn't seen all those times you 'looked' at it before? That's what it's like with God and His daily blessings. It's important, necessary for us to go back and reflect on what He has done - to see Him in a situation when we weren't able to previously. Being able to go back and reflect seeing God's work in my life, moment by moment...season by season, makes it very apparent - clear -understanding, gives me security and a deepening LOVE for Him. He IS always with me. He IS always at work for me. He IS always at work in me. He Is always at work through me. He IS always illustrating Himself into my life with His love. It is all around. I only need to recognize it. Let be. Be still. Know that He is God.
How often do we have a book that we just love and we have to share it with our friends? Well, this is like our life-book. I need to be just as enthusiastic and open to sharing what God puts on my heart as I am with a beautiful book that I enjoyed reading (I know, can you believe that I actually graduated up to reading books now? Crazy!) Here's the awesome part, NO ONE will have ever read your life-book before! So, no worries about sharing it with them! Your life-book is a one-of-a-kind, precious, beautiful story that someone needs to hear. The Author has intentionally, deliberately, precisely placed each brush stroke upon your life-book page. He is present in each and every moment of your life-story. His fingerprints are not only upon your life-story but upon YOU! Psalm 139:14,16 HCSB, "I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know this very well. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began."
My prayer is that you may be encouraged just as I have been this past week. I feel as if my heart has just received an electric shock to get it pumping to its full capacity again. Praise the Lord! I pray that things in our day would be recognized and noticed as God taps on our shoulders to gain our attention. May we be willing to reflect back into our life-books and 'reflect' on some moments or seasons that we haven't been able to for some reason or another and allow God to reveal Himself. Allow Him to illustrate how He worked or is working that time for His Glory. May we grow from what we learn in the pages of our life-book and have the willingness and the courage to share our story. Luke 1:45 AMP, "And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from the Lord." What a beautiful promise!
Take care and be blessed!
Christy Krezman
Rosette Ministry
