Flawed to Perfection

I look around me and I see beauty in everyone. I consider my family and friends- their positive characteristics as well as their less than lovely issues, and I am convinced that, deep down, everyone is loving and kind, in spite of less than admirable choices, mistakes or environments. And I'm sure I am not alone.
It's human nature to argue that our good outweighs our bad, yet even at our personal best, we are at our worst because our "goodness" and our "beauty" is only circumstantial. The sin that so easily ensures us makes it impossible for us to be completely whole, completely perfect or completely guilt free 24/7. We can do good things, say good things, act in a good way and encourage others to do the same, but without Christ, our best has holes in it and leaks out any effort we make to combat our imperfections.
Human nature tells us to excuse our flaws away; make light of wrong doings, compare ourselves to others, explain why our issues are personal and no one else's business... we've all been guilty of the "cover up". In Genesis chapter 3, we see that Adam and Eve produced the first attempt to cover and explain away their sin and man has been doing that ever since. Why? It's because the "cover up" is easier than the confession. It's easy to pretend nothing is wrong or that we have it all figured out. It's easy to excuse our messes or to avoid people who we know have higher standards for us than we do for ourselves. But there is no freedom in the "cover up". Christ has come to take away our shame and trade it for His freedom!

"But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin,

so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ."~Galatians 3:22

Sin is a prison and it confines us when we don't confess. Like weeds, it creeps in and restricts the opportunity for complete beauty to shine through. Confession is the pruning of the weeds which goals are only to hold us back and strangle God's Spirit within us, which is ours through Jesus. But let's be real. None of us go around exposing every internal conflict, mistake or issue. And as Christian women, we often get slapped with the hypocrisy syndrome- we are afraid to expose our problems in fear that others will judge or reject us. But I think it is important for us all to understand that hiding our issues is not strength, it is the lack of it. Maturity is the ability to live humbly before God and before man. Instead of hiding, its more liberating to recognize this is the number one struggle that the majority of us deal with in our lives: how to live a Christ-centered life, despite our spiritual struggles. I know I am not alone in this.


Last quarter, the Pearls completed a study on the book of Esther, and I'd like to share a quote which got my brain rolling on this subject.  "Even those most serious about their pursuit of God and godliness fail to be perfect examples all the time. That's why God is busy conforming us into the likeness of Christ."

To me, this is a sigh of relief and a breath of fresh air! In my weakness and in my struggles to avoid temptation, God has made Christ strong in me! Not so that I can continue to practice things which His word instructs me not to do, but so that I can have the resilience and the desire to say no when such things begin to slither my way.

To be human is not synonymous with hypocrisy. This was a fear that I spent the first years of my salvation trying to avoid and prove; to no avail. It's debilitating for us to deny the reality of our humanity. Christ calls us not to ignore it, but to expose it and to receive forgiveness and grace that only He can give! 1 John 1:9 is a scripture that we have committed ourselves to learn in our Bible Study:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all wrong".

Perfection is not proof of salvation! We each WILL FALL. Let's go ahead and accept that reality now and save ourselves so much stress and worry. Our beauty isn't based on our efforts, its a result of God's goodness. When we live for Him, our lives are immaculate. But when we fall, know that we fall in God's grace! Our flaws are made perfect when we trust Him with all our hearts- The great and the misguided; the struggles and the victories. His loving kindness will catch us each and every time- when we are truthful with Him, with ourselves and with others. He is more than enough for all that we endure and he equips us with what we need, as we need it. We can find trusted mentors, family members or friends to pray with us and encourage us, because this Journey with Jesus is dynamic when we are connected with others. And as we travel and grow, confess and progress, we begin to shine like Christ, in spite of our situation, and that is true Strength!

As we live this life of faith and over come our instincts to cover up, then the beauty that is ours in Christ becomes more visible and exposed. This is the true testimony: not that we are good, but that God is great! We each have our ashes, but God wants to trade them for His beauty (Isaiah 61:3). That is what makes others feel encouraged and motivated to take part in this life of Grace!

One day, we will shine like our savior and we will be free from all of our flaws, but until then...Be bold in your living! Grace is not meant to be covered up, but shared and displayed! His love is continuously perfecting us and that is worth smiling about!
~Pearls

Be YOU! Be BEAUTIFUL!

What does Beauty mean to you? This is a question that the girls of Pearls would like to share with the world! Beauty is more than a trend of what is "in" and "out". It's more than what the media wants to force on us, because Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that beholder is the Lord! We are are beautiful in His eyes and we rely on His beauty to make us shine bright!

Please watch and enjoy!

No More "gods"!

There comes a time in everyone's life where they must choose: What to major in, what job to take, what church to join, what man to marry, what "god" to follow...
In this life, there are so many choices, so many "gods". In Greek Mythology, there were 13 Olympians and 48 minor gods and goddesses, including 9 Muses and the 3 Fates. I took a course in ancient world cultures, as a sophomore in college, and I remember being completely fascinated and overwhelmed by all of the deities associated with the Greek and Roman Empires. Each was responsible for a certain element of happiness or human fulfillment. There was the "god" of love, the "god" of wealth, a "god" of power, a god of "crops" and even a "god" of fertility. Each promised to provide a certain aspect of happiness, yet it always came with a price. Their beauty and lure was undoubting, yet not one of them could ever compare to the majesty of our true and living God! His love supersedes that of any other identity. He expounds beyond the comprehension of man, because he was never made by man.
The Bible does an impeccable job of describing our most beautiful and glorious God:

For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and forever...
~Ps 100:5

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
~2 Corinthians 3:18

And in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
~Revelations 1: 13-16

How resplendent is our God?! His entire being is beautiful, because He is truth! His word is ablaze with fire from heaven and His love is all consuming- offering life and promise and hope to all who would only accept Him. His very being is grander than the cosmos and His Spirit is an unrestrained expression of His heart. Yet, inspite of this, we tend to be more drawn to the one-dimensional "gods" of our own creations.

Yes, believe it or not, polytheism is very much alive and well in our modern day, Westernized culture and we give our true worship away to the wrong entities. It may seem far fetched, but if you take the time to trace your own desires, there you will find your "god" at the root of it all. They are very much apart of our culture, although we've given them different names. They gloat among us, disguised as ambition, and in some cases...it's hard for us to tell the difference.
We worship self, as if we are immortal.
We worship money, foolishly putting our trust in what will inevitably run out. We worship the opposite gender, mistaking the trammels of sex as perennial love. We worship our homes, our cars and our clothes, and our beauty- forgetting that everything will one day rust and tear. We worship celebrities and their fading glamour, only to be let down by their humanity and inevitable failures, and we worship our intellect and degrees, to no avail, because they can never truly help us over come all the trials and lessons of life.

As we turn from one "god" to another, the overwhelming relentless love of the One and Only true and living God inundates us, calling us back to remember who He is and who He will always be! He has a calling and a purpose for each of us, yet we fail to hear His voice among all the tiny voices that we allow ourselves to be distracted by. Instead of seeking Him, we seek ourselves. Instead of glorying in Him, we often tend to trade His eternal state of grace, fulfillment and joy, for that of temporary, handmade happiness. I've recognized this in my own life at various points. To say the least, it is an embarrassment that none of us will ever fully overcome, until that day when Christ returns. Yet, in our weakness, He is made strong (2 Corinthians 12:9) and His mighty love continues to pursue us!

When we finally understand the magnitude of God's love for us, the other "gods" will loose their control, because we will begin to recognize that our fulfillment is found only in The Lord. Chasing after these "gods" is only our limited attempt to fulfill our own happiness. We think that success, relationships, self-preservation and other attempts will hold the power to erase our longing; but a spiritual void can never be fulfilled by carnal measures. If we are to experience the fulfilled life, we must seek after the fulfiller of all life! His ways are not our ways and so His plans for us go beyond our mere lusts for happiness; God wants to fulfill our lives with joy- a spiritual state of being, that no one and no happenstance could ever take away or replace.
Happiness is an emotion. It  evolves and devolves based on our current circumstances. When things go well, we are glad; but when things go wrong (beyond our control, plans or expectations) we loose hope and heart. Yet God's gift of everlasting joy, through Jesus, is not a gift that fades; it fulfills. It extends beyond our existence and further than our circumstances, and He is the only God that can ever provide this for us.

As we embark on a new week, it is my prayer to live more purposefully in the promise of eternal joy, which comes from our God who will never fade, fall or forget. He has made me an everlasting promise to love me, to set my feet on a successful path and to hold me up above my enemies and give me eternal life of which my spirit will never die... yet, all it takes is a seemingly disappointing moment in my day to take my eyes off of His face. When will we ever learn? What will it take for us to allow the truth of our salvation to be permanently implanted within our hearts? How long will we remain in a repetitive circle of chasing after our own created "gods" in order to generate a counterfeit happiness and fulfillment? The time has come for us to take revenue of our lives and make a choice concerning who we will follow and what we will pursue. Happiness has its place, then its gone.
I want God's joy, that can never be duplicated or lost. I want the fulfillment of His promises that were set in place before the first star ever flickered. I want a relationship with my Heavenly Father- who never goes back on His word and who never leaves me disappointed. I'm confident to believe that you want the same things as well. Nothing can hold us back... except for our man-made "gods". It's time to put them to rest! It's time to put our trust in Jesus!

Dear God,
I've made several attempts to fulfill myself with my own man-made "gods". I've tried to acquire happiness in my own way, despite it's temporary flair. But I realize that unconditional joy and true fulfillment only comes from you! I need you to fill me up with your fire, a renewed passion for your spirit and for  your word! I need your love, your glory and the beauty of your Son to take a permanent residence within my soul. I trust in you alone. There are no other gods... not any more. There is only you, and in your presence, I am made whole. Love of God, overflow and permeate on my soul. Amen.

No more "gods", girls.

~Pearls