Tag Archives: Beauty

A-mazing, by Lydia Floren

A maze is a life-sized puzzle, where the challenge is to find your way from point A to point B, through a confusing labyrinth of pathways. (Quite a feat for directionally challenged folks like me!) Mazes come in all shapes and sizes: a hall of mirrors at a carnival, for example, or the sculpted shrubbery at a plantation.

But a maze in a field of sunflowers? Now that is a site to behold.

Here in Wisconsin a local farmer plants acres of sunflowers every spring, leaving a trace of paths unseeded. By fall his field is transformed into a sea of plate-sized blossoms. And that network of paths has morphed into a breathtaking maze of gold and green.

A-mazing!

This unique attraction opens to the public in October, and Andrew and I decided to go. We paid our entrance fee and were handed a map of the trails, which I clutched like a security blanket, as we meandered along taking pictures.

Getting back to A-mazing

Life is like a maze, isn’t it? It is full of twist and turns, often taking us directions we don’t anticipate. Sometimes it feels more confusing – or even frightening – than awe-inspiring. We’re not always sure which way to go next, or even if we’re headed in the right direction. How do we get back to a-mazing? How do we let the worry go?

Remember

We get back to a-mazing by remembering that we have

A map. The word of God to guide us.
A beaten path. Many others, who are living a God-guided life, who can share their wisdom, and help us find our way.
Good company. The God of the universe, the Creator of the maze, is with us every step of the way. He’s got our back, keeping us safe, and tugging at our elbow when we get off course. He magnifies our joy, constantly highlighting the extraordinary in our ordinary lives.

Enjoy

So today, enjoy those a-mazing moments. A bent-over belly laugh with a friend. An early morning fog blanketing a snowy field. The satisfaction of a job well done.

Give thanks

Today, give thanks for the a-mazing gifts you’ve been given. The privilege of being alive. The encouragement of people along the way.

Give thanks for the company of God, your Loving Father, who’s guiding you safely through the maze of life.

A-mazing.

Choose Life

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by Lydia Floren

Easter is all about life. Nothing says “life” like budding flowers, and chirping birds, and greening leaves, so it makes perfect sense to celebrate Easter in the spring. “I came,” Jesus said, “that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 19:10) This abundant life is not just about heaven. God invites us to experience this rich life now. Today. Everyday.

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we have the option of living an abundant life. But God doesn’t force this on us. We get to choose whether to embrace God’s love and follow Him, or to continue on our own destructive path.

This is a choice between life and death, as Deuteronomy 30 points out:

I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life. Deut. 30:19-20

This Easter, choose life: live the life you were created to live.
Resolve to

Love God
Listen to His voice
Hold tight to Him

And then keep making that choice over and over again. Because the Lord IS your life.

Real life begins with Him. Real life can only be found in Him.

Porch Time

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by Lydia Floren

It is hard to say goodbye to summer, especially up here in the North Woods.

Summers in Wisconsin are exquisite, and we Wisconsinites spend as much time outdoors as possible this time of year. For the Floren family, this means a lot of porch-time.

Our back porch, extending from our house’s second story, is surrounded by woods. Sitting on the porch is kind of like perching in a treehouse:

Light filters through the trees. Multicolor greens drape the woods. Birds chatter song in surround sound, as a breeze whooshes through the branches. A chipmunk skitters across the deck, and a chickadee lands on the bird-feeder only to flit off a moment later.

It is easy to appreciate God’s beauty when enjoying the outdoors, but God’s beauty is more profound than just the lush green of a Wisconsin summer. God’s true beauty shines in His character.

His goodness. The utter lack of evil in His existence.
His power to overcome evil.
His grace to forgive, and to replace lies with truth.
His commitment to stay with us/within us now and for all eternity.
His gentle care for each of us, accepting us right where we are, and providing what we need, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.
His direction, leading us in the next step.
His compassion, tenderly cherishing each of us, and consistently loving us no matter what.
His companionship, providing company for us through our day.

We’ve said goodbye to summer up here in the cold, cold north, but we need never say goodbye to the One who created it. In every season His beauty shines within us, and all around us.

Morning Joy

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God gave me a beautiful gift this morning, as I was driving down the interstate.

It was 6:30 a.m., and I was in a hurry – it was going to be a long day. As I rounded the final bend before my exit, a spectacular vista met my eyes: a pink/purple dawn spread out over a distant blue ridge, which was draped in wispy clouds. It reminded me of the Smoky Mountains – of home.

“Quick, get out the camera and snap a picture!”, I told myself. No. Not a good idea at 70 mph. Just enjoy. Soak in the beauty of the moment (and try to keep an eye on the road)!

That sunrise was a gift at the beginning of a difficult day. It was as if God was saying,

“I am here. All is well. Enjoy.”

He says that to me a lot, actually. In all kinds of ways. Too many times, I don’t see. Or I see, but I don’t stop to give thanks. (I’m a slow learner.)

You know, on those days that I do notice God’s ever-abundant gifts, and choose to thank Him, something wonderful happens. JOY settles over me like mist on a mountain.

In Your presence is fullness of joy! Psalm 16:11

Morning On The Marsh

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by Lydia Floren

For so much of my life, I brush past the magnificence of God’s creation. One day this past week, I stilled myself enough to absorb a bit of its wonder. Andrew and I were wrapping up a visit to South Carolina. We spent our last few days with dear friends in their Georgetown home, situated on the edge of the Edisto Marsh. Our final day, I woke up early and wandered out on the back deck. The boards were still damp from a nighttime rain. The breeze was uncharacteristically cool. I settled into a chair and tried to soak in the sights and sounds of my beloved South one last time before heading home. Here is my attempt to put into words a morning’s beauty in the Low Country:

Morning on the Marsh

Crickets hum.
Trees rustle.
Birdsongs echo.

Sound surrounds.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Wind-stirred leaves spill staccato drops.

Sparrows flit between moss-draped branches.
Tall pines brush a dusky sky.
Waters glimmer amid cattail reeds.

Seagrass ripples.

A snowy egret glides across
the flat expanse of gold-tipped green.

Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14

What are you noticing about God’s beauty this summer?

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