The Fingerprints of God

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. – (Romans 1:20, NIV)

There are things about God that people cannot see – His eternal power and all that makes Him God. But since the beginning of the world, those things have been easy for people to understand. They are made clear in what God has made. So people have no excuse for the evil that they do. – (Romans 1:20, ERV)

From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people. – (Romans 1:20, VOICE)

For me, the best part about a vacation that involves seeing new places, is the opportunity to see more of the beauty of creation that I had not yet witnessed prior. The variety and diversity found around the globe is a reminder of how big and creative God truly is. The colors, the sights, the sounds… Each new space I witness etches a mark of God’s fingerprints on my mind. Photos never quite do it justice, as they do not include sounds and scent and feel. This morning, as I sit in the thick warmth of an overcast Tiki Island morning, I am being serenaded by a variety of birds, watching the reflections of the sky and birds and breeze dance as they reflect on the water, and am breathing in the hint of salt air that is but a whisper compared to the citronella candle burning beside me to prevent mosquito visitors. The goodness of God is made tangible through all that I hear and see and feel and smell. I am in awe of His creativity, and I delight in the goodness of all that His hands have made. More than anything, I am grateful for His goodness and kindness, as He provides the rest that we need when we need it most. To doubt His goodness is to be oblivious to all His glory that is presented around us wherever we go. May we ever seek the Lord to show us more and more of Him through His glorious creation, and give Him thanks and praise for all that He is and all that He does.

The glory of God,

Is easy to see;

His touch all around,

Love visibly seen.

The colors and sounds,

The scents and the sights;

All point back to Him,

In Whom we delight.

His power and love,

Are made tangible;

Experiencing new,

Understandable.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the beauty of Your creation. Thank You for the goodness of all that Your hands have made. Thank You for the opportunity to see more and more of what You have created wherever we go. Forgive us for taking Your goodness for granted, for evidence of You is everywhere. Teach us to witness in wonder the works of Your hands, and to praise You for the blessings and beauty that surround us. Show us how to love the people You have placed around us in ways that make Your love tangible. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for Your incredible artistry, and thank You for the opportunities to experience what You have made. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7

The Scent of Promise

For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. – (2 Corinthians 2:15, NIV)

Our offering to God is to be the perfume of Christ that goes out to those who are being saved and to those who are being lost. – (2 Corinthians 2:15, ERV)

In a turbulent world where people are either dying or being rescued, we are the sweet smell of the Anointed to God our Father. – (2 Corinthians 2:15, VOICE)

I love that God created us with powerful senses, and that with them, we have memories that can be recalled quickly with a whiff of a familiar smell. For example, I cannot inhale the scent of fresh fruit or baking pies without thinking fondly of my grandparents. For me, there are certain scents that immediately turn my heart to Him, as they draw me into a space of sensing His nearness. As a runner and a lover of being outdoors, every spring, (and sometimes again in the summer) I anticipate the sweet scent of English Laurels in bloom all around our area. It is a smell that immediately brings praise to my heart, for there is something about it that causes me to associate the scent with the aroma of Christ. Incredibly, it is our charge to carry His sweet scent of life wherever we go. To some, it will be received and appreciated, whereas by others, it will be shunned and rejected. Our charge is to keep choosing to love and extend kindness, for that is the sweet smell of our loving Father. May we ever seek the Lord to lead us well, so that we might be the sweet scent of Christ that offers light and life and hope in spaces where they are absent.

The sweet scent of Christ,

Is hope, love and peace;

It’s promised goodness,

That will never cease.

On our darkest days,

Still He’s ever near;

The scent of promise,

That drives away fear.

Lord, help us receive,

So that we may give;

Your sweet, pleasing scent,

Hope each day we live.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of our senses and how You use them to help us be more aware of You. Thank You that scents can be associated with good things, and that we too, can offer the pleasing scent of Your Son to the world. Forgive us for the times that our words and actions were not a sweet scent. Teach us to bring goodness and kindness to all that we say and do, so that Your sweet scent may ring true. Show us how to love those around us best, so that they may see Your heart through our words and actions. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for the sweet scent of Christ that is all around us, and seek You to help us to operate from the overflow of Your abundant goodness and grace. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. – Romans 15:7

Dependable in Distress

When I am in distress, I call to You, because You answer me. – (Psalm 86:7, NIV)

I am praying to You in my time of trouble. I know You will answer me. – (Psalm 86:7, ERV)

When times of trouble come, I will call to You because I know You will respond to me. – (Psalm 86:7, VOICE)

I am amazed at the power held in our senses. So often, a particular scent takes me back to childhood memories of people or places that made a lasting impression. After yesterday, I am certain that it works the same for animals. The pups had been adjusting back to being home fairly well, but yesterday, after a package containing the rest of our babies’ items from board and train arrived and was opened, Thor began acting out. I quickly took their belongings down to the laundry room to wash in HOT, but aggressive and out of the ordinary behaviors continued. It was as if Thor was instantly taken back and placed in fight or flight mode. The afternoon was exhausting, and I was so grateful for my husband’s help upon his return home from work. A considerable amount of my time had been spent seated on the floor beside Thor, as he refused to enter his crate.(He normally does so very willingly.) Anguish and anger played ping pong in my heart, as I again and again had to release rage and remorse, and redirect my focus to loving my pup well. After quiet prayers were lifted for peace to return, I had a restless night’s sleep. This morning, as I began our normal routine, Thor seemed more His sweet self, and was terrific company after he ate his breakfast. When it was time to get back in his crate, he did so willingly and easily. God responds when we seek Him and He cares about what matters to us. On my part, the patience and prayers will continue, for I know the Lord will respond. May we ever seek the Savior in our distress, for He responds as we call on Him.

God has created,

Wonderfully made;

All of creation,

He loves and will aid.

The Lord hears our cries,

In love, He responds;

He heals what is hurting,

Restores broken bonds.

God sees and He hears,

Each prayer lifted up;

In love He refills,

The emptiest cup.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can call on You in our times of distress and You hear and respond to our heart’s cry. Thank You that You are faithful to meet us, walk beside us, and lovingly restore brokenness. Forgive us for holding onto hurts, and show us how to continually place all in Your hands. Teach us to love in ways that restore and offer hope where hurts have a hold of hearts. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You in our distress and trust You to respond. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3

A Significant Scent

Each of our senses is a significant gift from God, given to increase our awareness of the world around us.  An often discounted sense, is our sense of smell.  That being said, most of us have treasured memories that are tied to particular scents.  For me, the smell of a roasting turkey, baking pies, or smoking salmon, whisper sweet reminders of Thanksgivings and Christmases growing up at my grandparents’ home.  Pungent whiffs of rotting garbage bring flashbacks of the streets of Calcutta where the poor and destitute seemed to sit without help or hope.  Still other smells take me to specific times and places in my past.

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.  And who is equal to such a task?” – (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)  I bear the aroma of Christ?  That thought alone compels me to keep my conscience clean and my heart pure before Him.  On my own, I am certain that I would wreak.  However, being covered and cleansed in Christ, I am received in His likeness, and led by His Spirit.  Only by His strength, am I able to be the fragrance of life to another.

image from http://www.smscs.com

Sweet is the smell,

of hope embraced.

Glad is the heart,

where sin’s erased.

Fragrant the gift,

our offering;

grounded in Christ,

our life we bring.

May we go forth,

bearing His scent;

that loves to life,

so hearts repent.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in You, we bear the aroma of Christ to all whom we encounter.  Forgive us for the stench of our selfishness that tries to linger, and cleanse us so that we are fragrant testimonies of life in You.  Help those whose sense of scent is skewed, come to know the saving truth in You.  May our lives bear the sweet scent of salvation before all whom we meet, and may many come to know You as a result.  Let our lives be lived in love, so that all might accept the amazing aroma presented through Your Son.  Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.