Wrinkles

Last night we watched a sitcom where an actor from the past came back, after being diagnosed with an illness, to act again. In this sitcom his, real life, beautiful wife made an appearance on the show. We had always thought of her as a lovely woman who was aging quite nicely.  As we watched her though, we thought there was something different about her. Then we finally realized what the difference was. She had had a face lift, well at least she had had her eyes done. It made her look different, fake. It took away from her natural beauty.

  I ask Rodney why so many from the acting world think they have to continue to look like they have not aged at all? He said it is the one way they can continued to be hired to act on TV. It might not be something they want to do but it is something they feel they have to do.

Are we as the watching audience so shallow that we will not watch older actors or is it that the powers that be in the hiring of actors are the miss guided ones? This desire to stay young has carried over into the real world and so many women and even men think that they need stay young looking to be attractive.  I have to admit that I am not a fan of my rounder face which makes me have a full chin and I am not fond of my aging neck. I have to work on myself not to worry about these things and to remember that the world should not think less of me because I have some aging skin. 

All of us have beauty inside and out. We all have so much to contribute to this world and this does not change just because we begin to get wrinkles, lines, a couple extra pounds, and a few gray hairs . God certainly does not see us as less, as we age. He is probably glad that we are maturing and wiser. Maybe we will be more apt to make better choices.

I was reading in Amos 6 and ran across this verse...

Woe to those addicted to feeling good—life without pain!
    those obsessed with looking good—life without wrinkles!

Life does get to us. We feel the pressure to be better and to compete with each other in everything, including looks.
This kind of pressure takes our minds and hearts off the things that are really important, like loving our neighbors. We become obsessed with ourselves and life becomes "all about me" instead of loving and following our Lord.

 Luke 10:27

Common English Bible (CEB)

27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

As we just read, our focus should not be on ourselves so much as on our God and on loving those around us. If this happens you can bet no one will think anything of you except that your are wonderful. If the rest of the world could follow this verse, too, no one would feel the need for a face lift or an eye job because all of us would feel like the beautiful and special people that God has created us to be!


Blessings Beautiful People!

Sitting on the Porch!!

Today was a beautiful day. Not too hot and not too cold. You can really tell that we are moving into autumn. The leaves are starting to turn and there is a crispness in the air.  



I absolutely love this time of year. Sweaters are my favorite items of clothing and being able to sit out on the porch and enjoy the perfect temperature is almost heaven.
  
So today I took advantage of this perfectness and sat on the side porch to wait for Riley's bus to bring him home from school. It has been a very busy week for our family and being able to just sit, even for a little while, was such a treat.

As I sat there everybody that drove by waved and smiled. I think that they were loving the weather as much as me.

I see the changing seasons as a gift from God. Now there are some who would rather have warmth all year, but for me, the cycles of the seasons are wonderful. This beautiful season brings us walks in the leaves, festivals, apples, pumpkins, turkey and of course the harvest, which is a huge gift from God. 

I love how the scriptures remind us of this......
 

Deuteronomy 11:14

New International Version (NIV)

14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.

Acts 14:17

New International Version (NIV)

17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

We have a friend who always repeats this wonderful saying...."God is good, all the time, All the time, God is good"!

I think that this beautiful fall weather sure brings this statement home.

Hope you get to get out and enjoy all the wonder this season can bring.

Blessings!