"FADED BEAUTY"

Have you ever really taken the time to look at a bouquet of flowers after they've sat in a vase for more than a week? The petals have fallen off, the stem has bent, they are ready to be thrown away. They aren't reminiscent of the beautiful, vibrant bouquet at all. In some cases, such as with sunflowers, you can take the seeds from the middle of the dead flower, plant them and with time and nurturing a beautiful sunflower will appear. This reminds me of our relationship with Christ. I'm sure you can remember the day you decided to make Christ your Lord and Savior, it may have been in front of your entire church or maybe it was a quiet moment alone while watching a broadcast on television. Either way, it was a special time and I can guarantee you couldn't get enough of God. People could see that something was different and like the bouquet of flowers many people were attracted to the beauty of your salvation. What often happens is that as time passes we forget that we could have taken seeds from that bouquet and we sit around waiting for a special occassion to get a new bouquet. Have you lost the joy of your salvation because you're waiting on someone like your pastor or spiritual mentor to  push you? Can people see that same fire and zeal that you once had for the Lord? Even when everyday circumstances come in like a flood, we must remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Our primary job as God's daughter's is to be a witness, not only with our mouths but, through the life that we live. Will people be able to look at you and see how awesome it is to be born again? Stop waiting for a refreshing from someone else and begin to cultivate it within yourself. Set aside time to study on your own, pray for yourself, praise the Lord in the comfort of your own home. Remember, just as the bouquet died after an amount of time of being seperated from bush it grew on, your relationship with Christ will seem without life, if you fail to continuously take seeds and plant and nuture them. Don't neglect your lifeline, the world needs to see the beauty in a Daughter of God.  The Bible says, "The grass withers, The flowers fadeth but, the Word of Our God Shall stand forever....Can people see the Word be lived through you?