"I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life which was created in me by fairytales but has since been ratified by mere facts..." -G.H. Chesterton
Woven together so skillfully and creatively, my heart was captured every time.
Out of the dust, the treasured beauty was restored and unveiled in the fairytales I loved so dearly. Deep down, I secretly dreamed of playing a part in something that amazing.
Little did I know that I already was.
Reading an incredible book called Waking the Dead by John Eldredge, I began to realize why I was so taken with fairytales.
It was the transformation. Magic unearthing true authentic beauty to shine. And isn't this the story of our lives? Beauty there all along, simply veiled and hidden.
The Bible explores the ultimate veiled truth in this life.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 says,
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."
God has given us the ultimate promise of Christ and yet so many of us continue to live our lives moving through days as if they were burdens. Caught in the fog of the every day, we have been blinded. We don't even stop to recognize who we are, where we're headed, and how limited the time we have is. We say we believe the words written in the Bible yet don't take them to heart. Why not?
We're all just trying to get by, get from point A to point B, be practical, make ends meet, simply survive. Fairytales? Psh, please. We're lucky if we get through the day without falling asleep from pure emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion...isn't that kind of sad?
I am by no means saying that you need to drop the bills you're paying, quit your job (even if you hate it), or drop out of college. We live in a world where we need to do the every day things to continue and press on. What I am trying to get across is that there is so much more to your story than those things. That is merely the surface of your life not the meat of it.
God wants you to have life to the full.
[I came that they may have life and have it abundantly]
-John 10:10
In a way doesn't it seem sometimes that our lives reflect the opposite? Monotony, lack of enthusiasm, lack of hope, or straight up fear of the future?
We know that a great life is possible and we yearn for it deep down but can't seem to reach it on our own. Our hearts veiled by distractions, disappointments, set backs that continually repress notions of the life that the Bible promises for us. Our hearts have been taken out.
Your veil could be threaded and woven with criticism of others and even of yourself.
Your own reflection could be whispering lies.
You have strayed too far, you will never be something, that you are destined to walk an empty road alone.
Lies. We've become accustomed to them for so long that the strong shield of faith once protecting our passionate hearts is slowly being brought down in surrender to the world and into the acceptance of mediocrity.
In Kisses for Katie, Katie Davis writes, "When I imagine God creating each one of us and planting a purpose deep in our hearts, I never imagined that purpose being mediocrity."
Mediocrity in the dreams we settle on.
Mediocrity in our careers.
Mediocrity in a routine relationship with God.
Mediocrity in empty love in dating relationships.
Embracing mediocrity in all of this, we accept a story less than the one we are meant for.
Eyes clouded, we must look heavenward otherwise our heart can be stolen. Our role can be lost.
"By taking out your heart, the enemy takes out you, and you are essential to the Story," John Eldredge writes.
We mustn't lose heart in the midst of our fog for we are told something beautiful.
"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."
-Psalm 34:5
Radiant are those who follow Him, seek Him, those who love Him, those who look to Him in hope and faith. Knowing God means believing in His words of hope. Believing them to be true not just for everyone else but for yourself makes your story a radiant work of His hand.
This is where you will find your story turned around. By embracing His plan, you will find your purpose and your very own critical role weaved into the ultimate Story.
Dr. Rick Warren says, "You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny."
Living life with a shrouded heart, you will never find the answer or fulfillment you're searching for . You don't hold the key to the abundant life, God does. He extends His hand to anyone willing to take it and this holds true for every single one of us.
Attending a college worship night, I was reminded of a truth. It doesn't matter where you've been, how far gone you seem to the world, where you wander to, how deep of a pit you dig for yourself. God's grace is stronger and farther reaching than that. He has the power to raise a life from the pits onto a rock, to give us that firm place to stand when waves crash against our souls to knock us off our feet (Psalm 40:2).
Gungors song "Beautiful Things" explores this transformative idea.
"You make beautiful things out of dust...You make beautiful things out of us...You make me new, You are making me new..."
I have seen this restoration. God's complete transformation of the heart.
Turning a lost sheep of His into someone completely found in Him, life finally begins to make sense. Drinking, drugs, hook-ups...it all loses appeal when exposed in the harsh lighting of God's truth. Pain of the past can be shaken off and healed when we allow Him into our hurt. With the eyes of the heart enlightened, true clarity will be found (Ephesians 1:18). The beautiful face of Grace who breathes life to dust makes each of us into something beautiful (Genesis 2:7).
We are a new creation in Him, something grand created for a divine purpose.
Out of the dust, the darkness, the emptiness He brings us to stand in the light. Into the beauty of His love, we now stand with full hearts ready to embrace our great role in His story.
C.S. Lewis pokes fun saying, "You thought you were going to be a decent little cottage but He is building a palace.."
And this is what God does with you.
A modest cottage into a palace of beauty.
Someone asleep for many years transformed into a person awakened by love.
A simple maid transformed into a princess.
Mere dust into the crown jewel of Christ.
God is forever reaching out to us because He loves us and wants us to you He has chosen a role. You have a part to play that impacts not only you but those around you and the coming Kingdom. He has planted a deep rooted purpose in the core of your soul that you will only find when you seek Him with your whole heart and set out on the journey of this life with Him at your side (Matthew 7:7).
God may have you destined to be a famous author one day reaching millions but doubt and insecurities tear at your confidence in your writing and so you simply stop.
You might be set to be the president of a non-profit fighting for an issue of justice in this world that needs mending yet you doubt you have the courage to lead others and choose something easier.
You may have a deep set passion for missions overseas but fear and criticism from family or friends are holding you back from taking that step of faith and you choose a desk job you despise.
The thing is, you can miss God's will for your life if you aren't careful.
Katie Davis writes, "And if I remain comfortable. the God who loves us unconditionally will continue to love me anyway...I may still see His glory revealed in my life and recognize His blessings, but not like I could have. I can miss the will of God."
Don't miss the amazing story God has written for you. Do not settle.
Each one of us can do amazing things for this world if we begin trust in Jesus above this world and ourselves included. We must believe in the Story He is weaving for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Stirring your heart to rise from the ashes into the light, your story is transformed and restored into one of great hope and not of sorrow.
A story crafted by the Author beauty.
This is the magic found in fairytales but also the potential for your life within the greater Story unfolding all around if you'd only open your heart and lift your eyes to truly believe it.
