Becoming Beautiful

                  Becoming Beautiful
Dear Friends,
     It has been a while since I've written to you.  I've started a few letters, then life happened and it was hard to come back to the same thought line.  Last week I saw this butterfly on this particular zinnia and God spoke a message to my heart.
     Something you will immediately notice about the flower is that a lot of the petals are gone.  Life still exists in the flower and it still holds nourishing nectar for the butterfly to sip.  The beautiful butterfly hasn't noticed a problem or flaw with the flower and is enjoying it immensely.  
     As I was taking pictures the butterfly would sail through the gentle breeze.  It circled past me so near that I could feel a soft breath-like movement as it fluttered past my cheek and landed back on the top of the broken flower.  I was mesmerized by the beauty!
     I thought, "This is why I grow flowers!  To see a sight like this and to hear God whisper a message to me is why!"
    We all experience brokenness at some point during life.  It can be caused by a number of things and can have many different outcomes.  God sees all the brokenness too, and He sees it like this butterfly sees the broken flower.  It's worth something.  The flower has worth to the butterfly and God sees our worth and potential through our brokenness.  
     A man who does volunteer work with me at the Salvation Army gave his testimony at a meeting I attended.  He shared about his brokenness.  He had come here from another country  as a small child.  They were very poor and  at a young age he got involved in gangs and drugs and spent time in prison.  Then God got ahold of his life and he has spent the past 40 years serving others.  He glows with the love of God!
     I want to encourage you today to know that God sees your worth!  You are beautiful to Him.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God's masterpiece.  He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."