God Makes All Things Beautiful!

Fall is in the air this morning! There's a cool breeze and it smells like dry leaves; it's the kind of weather that makes me want warm cozy blankets, hot chocolate, and ooey gooey warm cheesey dinners. Fall, I think is the most comforting season, and it seems that every time fall hits, I need some comforting. God know exactly what we need and brings us through our seasons at just the right time. This past week has been a week of loss...On Monday, we helped Bailey, our sweet dog of 15 years out of pain and out of this world. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I am so thankful that God prepares our hearts for times like these and fills them with His love, mercy, and grace. I still have an empty feeling when I think of her and am reminded she's no longer here, and I imagine that will linger for quite some time.

Then, on Wednesday, I found out that someone close to me is "moving away", and we will no longer be able to be "so" close...Last, on Friday, I said goodbye to nine of my students (that's half of my class) as they "moved up" to their new class, some of them had been with me for almost a year-and-a-half, this prooved to be more difficult than anticipated. The comfort of this fall breeze is more than healing than I can describe! Sitting in my living room with the door and windows open, getting close to grabing a blanket, looking forward to the new week and new season ahead.

I was reminded this morning of the verse that says

"And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”' Revelation 21:5

"He has made everything appropriate (good, beautiful) in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiasties 3:11

Our God is in the business of transformations...think of the swan, for example. The swan duckling is often reffered to as "the ugly duckling," we've all hear the children's story of how the ugly duckling is laughed at and teased and them grows and matures to become more beautiful than his taunting counterparts...(looking at the picture above, these litte swans are not so ugly, but for the sake of illustration, lets pretend)  I believe this is a beautiful picture of God 'making all things new.' God can bring beauty out of every situation, good or bad, and works all things together for our good, and does not allow anything that does not fit into or fulfill His will and final plan. So, I like to think that God is in the business of swan-making! Which he is. He made the swans, afterall. :) What I mean is, even after my seemingly terrible week, I know that just like the swan, just like this cool fall morning after a crazy-hot summer, God is renewing and refining my heart through every season He wills for me to go through. Therefore, I must be thankful, even for this past week, because God is using it to transform my heart and my life so that I, too, may one day become the "beautiful ending" he has planned for me!

Blessings, friends! As I look forward to my beautiful ending and the journey of life that will take me there, I pray that God will reveal something beautiful to you this week. Just as Ecclesiasties says, He makes ALL things beautiful in its time!