Hidden potential…

Are you a visual person? Do you tend to judge things by how they look?

Sometimes I do that, but being a frugal crafter, I often find myself  giving things a second look to search for an item’s hidden potential. For example, old books  that are coming unglued or dog-eared old maps, make a wonderful supply of “design paper” for card backgrounds or embellishments. Or an empty cereal box can be turned into chipboard embellishments like fancy monograms or buttons with a little cutting, design paper and glue, mimicking their more expensive chipboard die-cut counterparts sold at the craft store.

Maybe that’s why I also enjoy certain home improvement programs like HGTV’s Property Brothers. Two brothers, one a real estate agent and the other a contractor, help people to purchase their dream homes. They start by showing their clients a move-in ready home with everything on their must-have list. This  serves as a reality check for the clients because the home is usually way out of their price range.

Then they show their clients several “fixer-uppers” along with renovation plans  which fit into the client’s budget. These properties which might be glossed over as unacceptable at first glance have the potential to become the show-places their future owners want. The client decided on a property and the renovations start. Ultimately, the homes end up looking  as good or even better than the move-in ready house.

But, what about people? Do you judge them by how they look as well, or do you look for their hidden potential?

The prophet Samuel was told to go to the house of Jesse and anoint the future king of Israel to replace Saul. When he got there, he met and sized up each one of Jesse’s sons – all were  good looking and had  the appearance of great potential. But God cautioned Samuel not to pick any of them.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at the way he looks on the outside or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. For the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. A man looks at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.””        1 Samuel 16:7 NLV

God had his eye on David, Jesse’s youngest son who was still a gangly, awkward teenager. He wasn’t much to look at yet, compared to his brothers who were already grown up, buff-looking warriors. But David’s heart stood head and shoulders above the hearts of his brothers because of the young man’s devotion  to God. His hidden potential was what made him important in God’s plan.

We need to be careful how we judge others because we can’t usually see at first glance what’s inside. Yet God knows what they have the potential to become with a little work. and he has both the time and the patience to do it! After all, take a look inside your own heart and check out what he’s doing there!

Thank you Lord for looking at our hearts and giving us a chance to become all you know we can become. Amen.

Stonecroft Prayer focus for today…

Ask God to keep you from avoiding anyone just because of their dress or
appearance.

I’ve been “Crashed!”

“All the fullness of deity lives in Christ’s body.  And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.”        Colossians 2:9-10 CEB

I’m not a builder and would probably never try home renovations on my own, but I do enjoy some of those renovation programs on HGTV. One of my favorites is “Yard Crashers” where a landscape designer hangs out at a large chain hardware store until some unsuspecting  home owner agrees to take him home and let him redo their yard.

In an episode this past weekend, the designer taught the home owner’s wife how to make a raised bed for vegetables using concrete blocks. He dug a shallow, rectangular foundation for the blocks and placed a layer of mortar in the bottom of it, then laid out the first row.

Staggering the blocks, he simply  placed a second row on top of the first,  but didn’t use mortar to hold them together. Instead, he filled the holes in each cinder block with concrete. This bonded the blocks to each other and supported them from the inside out. Then he sided it with  a stone fascia block and capped the top of the wall of the raised bed with flat , rectangular, cut rocks. It looked great and even I could probably do that!

This morning’s verse reminds me of that raised bed construction. Christ  is our foundation and he  builds us according to his design. Then he fills us with all his divine power, not only holding us together, but giving us a functional purpose in his grand scheme of life.

Thank you Lord for “crashing” my life and making me over through your power and love! Amen.

Stonecroft Prayer focus for today…

Pray that when military wives and servicewomen attend Military Heart Events they will feel God’s presence and the love of Stonecroft women.