More Of Him, Less Of Me

(Cross-Posted at Moms In The Right)

This is my sweet Clara's latest collection. She gathered these rose petals from under a rose bush in our front yard, and she loves them. She carefully placed them in this glass, and filled it with water for the petals to "drink". Every now and then she'll pour fresh water in, and she likes to keep it on the table next to the vase of flowers I have as a centerpiece.

To be perfectly honest, I'm keeping these sad little petals around because of my love for Clara, not because I like them. She's proud of them. She nurtures them. She thinks they're beautiful. She even thinks they smell nice.

But me? All I can think when I see them is that they're so...dead.

The edges are browned and curling. They're turning a bit slimy soaking in that glass of water. But Clara? She sees nothing but beauty! I keep hoping that she will look in that glass and see what I do so that she can be the one to make the decision to dump them out (but I'm afraid it's going to be left to me).

As long as I'm being honest, I guess I should admit that the brown spots and slime are not the only things that I dislike about those precious petals of Clara's. Those darn petals...they made me think, and I don't like it one little bit!

When I saw the proud look on my daughter's face over a glass of slimy, browning, dead flower petals...I thought, "I wonder what my flower petals are?"

You know, something that I think is beautiful, but that God thinks is getting a little ugly...or maybe something that I think smells nice, but that smells rotten to God?

All week I've been asking myself and asking God, "What is in my life that I think is wonderful, something I'm possibly even nurturing...but to God's all knowing and wise eyes is actually dead?"

It can sometimes be hard to know what's of value and what's not. But it's worth figuring out, because I want my life to be about something bigger than me. I want it to be about something more than the endless and unfulfilling quest for wealth or popularity or worldly "success". I want my life to be considered a success based on God's standards, not on worldly standards.

Precious Lord, I stand here with all I have...all of who I am and every breath you see fit to give me...and I offer it back to you. Where I am living for worldly success, please show me. Please guide me and change me. You living in me is my only hope for a life of any value. So empty me, Lord. Empty me of my pride and my selfishness and my desire for worldly success. And then fill me with you and the fruits of your Spirit. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for nurturing me and helping me to grow in you. Amen.

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"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work." 1 Corinthians 3:12-13

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What about you? Did you seek the Lord this week? Share what you learned! Please remember to link only to your STLS post and not to your main page.

Seek The Lord Sunday Participants

1. Everyday Becky (Faithfully Fit)

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