Carte Blanche

Trust changes your life. Military training forces you to trust your men and women with your life. Marriage forces you to trust your money, your time, your work, your play time with your spouse. Trust gives friends and family charge over an estate, an account, or a vehicle. Trust gives your family and friends room to care for your children, feed them, discipline them and bathe them. Trust means you'll receive personal information about something great or something terrible. Trust means asking for help or asking for prayer. Trust forces you to trust your company with your salary and benefits. Trust offers the trusted carte blanche for even one tiny part of your life...no small feat. You even trust people with compliments. How you respond to the compliment shows them how much or how little they're truly trusted. Trust even gives your enemies time during a cease fire. So much of our lives exists within trust that even when you want to complain about the trusted, one part of your life becomes theirs anyway. Sometimes we're distrustful and believe that no one understands, no one can do what you can do better than you, or you mistakenly believe that no one cares. I hope we all realize how good it is to give our lives to others.

Dear friends of ours are missionaries in Africa. They often ask for prayer about very personal things. They trust us to pray for them, their work and the people that they work with in Africa. They trust us to pray for them there. Do they ask the people where they are at to pray for their friends in the States, the people they love at home? I think they do. Do you?

Our lives change because we trust people. Carte Blanche. A small term with a huge meaning.

Yesterday Monique gave our friend and her hairdresser Elani carte blanche with her hair. Elani couldn't quite grasp that someone gave her such freedom...it took several assurances before she believed she was fully trusted. She didn't break the trust either. Elani is seriously skilled and she had so much fun on Monique's hair and I had so much fun watching the transformation! Monique's life is different because she trusted Elani!

Monique...what a babe! She's stunning. She was so excited about changing things up and looked forward to yesterday for several weeks. Her hair had gone flat, was too thick, too long and too unruly! It's now a lighter, shorter, layered, graceful, naturally curly, beautiful head.

Her husband is a little bit crazy in the head...she went a little crazy on top of the head! She's got some blond, brown and some Auburn red in it. Actually the change was quite radical and different, but Elani didn't go completely nuts, but instead turned an already beautiful woman into an Elegant Queen. Maybe Monique's trust in Elani might change my life a bit!

Yes, trust is a good thing. How's it changed your life?

The pics are a little blurry...I was snapping without thinking...told you my inner head was a bit off! Either way it was fun and I hope you enjoy the pics.

I am intimidated by Creation

Creation scares me sometimes. Creation always stands trustworthy and right and even rocks cry out. Intimidated?  Thorns grow by God's command not because it has committed some evil. Sap falls from trees and delights the wiles of sweet teeth. Creation swallows man into the ground and from his dust springs new life...creation groans not because I stand upon her but because she perfectly loves and desires her maker.

I'm not saying that earth reigns over mankind, I'm not. I am saying that I am swallowed up by floods and tornadoes and hurricanes, by avalanches, forest fires, by lightening and thunder, by earthquakes, by monsoons, and tidal waves, by hills and valleys and the highest of mountains, by ants and snake and bee, by bear and lion, by shark and stingrays, by frog and even by plant. My instinct lies toward imperfection while theirs lies in obedience and praise.

And still I am allowed to adore Him who called me good; Him who looked into my eyes as one in His image. I feel intimidated by my environment but my voice rings out to God like a conversation in the dark. I do not fear creation as if it is my enemy--I am also created. I am simply intimidated by unfettered obedience and that makes me glad because each day I step outside my door I witness an act of praise that will one day be my privilege. I cannot wait until my heart is wholly gratified by simple praise, glad of law and accomplishment and purely grateful for salvation.

My dad used to say "Don't do anything to disparage my good name." I'm grateful for this piece of advice yet I resented such favor as a name because I did disparage it. My dad fought with the bravest of men. He and the integrity of the men who fought by his side were disparaged in youthful petulance often enough I'm sure yet when the commander spoke there were no questions in their minds and I remain free because of men who stand in mighty company with their peers. I am grateful. One could say they are slaves to the commands of their superiors and yet through it they gain freedom. Like them, I can say I am no longer a slave to chaos, but a slave to Christ and by Him I am free.

I am intimidated by Creation. But creation groans not because I walk upon her, but because she yearns for the day when the entirety of creation might be fulfilled unto His name even as the entirety of creation already bows to His command.