Here is a lovely devotional written by my friend, Sarah Lynne Rodgers, when she was on vacation in Hawaii with her family in March. Little did she (or we) know, but she only had two months left on earth to reflect God’s beauty.
Thank you, Sarah, for your friendship. You loved wholeheartedly and sacrificially. Even though our hearts are aching in this hard place, we will follow your advice and cling to the truth that Jesus is right beside us, walking with us and loving us each step of the way.
Beauty in Hard Places
(By Sarah Lynne Markle Rodgers)
I have been meditating on the concept that God can and does make something out of nothing. Where there is no semblance of life, He can cause growth from a stone. The first morning I was here [in Hawaii], sitting on the lanai, I looked out and there in the middle of a lava rock was a green growth. It fascinated me and the more I thought about it, the more I was filled with what Isaiah 43:19 says:
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
I was filled with the thought that I want Him to work in me, fill the hardness of my heart with beauty. Make something beautiful grow, so I can produce for Him.
Here in Hawaii, amidst the dried lava flow, there are many areas where there is new growth in the middle of nowhere, even where everything looks dead. God is saying that He is making all things new. If He can grow a plant out of a stone, how much more can He work in my life. I have been reminded that there is nothing too hard for God and He just wants us to reach out to Him and trust Him. It is overwhelming to realize just how much He loves me. It is a fullness that filled my heart. We know that He loves us, but can we feel that love? Being filled with that love is overwhelming. I pray that today you will feel that love and recognize that Jesus is right beside you, walking through this life with you.
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