Under the Surface
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
Isaiah 40:8
I recently bought flowers for myself on my way to pick up my prescriptions. When I came home I saw that I forgot to check inside the plastic for mold. These flowers are notorious for it, and I was so focused on the beauty that I had forgotten to check below the surface. There was the mold; that brown, yucky slime hiding beneath all those pretty blossoms. Is this not how we live sometimes? Do we not show our best selves and work so hard to keep the ugly hidden? But, are these flowers somehow less valuable now? Isaiah 43:1 tells us, “But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Replace Jacob and Israel with your own name and make it personal.
He has created me.
He has formed me.
He has redeemed me.
He has called me by name.
I am His.
When I am feeling worthless, I remind myself of the One who created me. God of wonders, beyond our galaxy, is infinite in power and wisdom. He who created the celestial realms and the magnificent mountains and the roaring seas knows the hairs on my head and cares about each one. He doesn’t call things that belong to Him worthless, and I am His!
If you’re a parent, you’ve most likely seen Encanto. Maybe you’ve seen it 79 times. Maybe you know all the songs and you have dance parties with your kids in the living room. I love that! I have to share that the first time I saw it, I literally cried when Luisa sang her song: Under the Surface. “Under the surface, I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service.. a flaw or a crack.. the straw in the stack.. what breaks the camel’s back is pressure like a drip drip drip that’ll never stop…”. I often feel like being a Mom and doing all the Mom things is all I’m good for, which is similar to what Luisa felt in her story. She is strong and steadfast on the outside, but on the inside she is screaming for help. She continues to shoulder every burden for herself and others, both literally and figuratively, and eventually something small ends up “breaking the camel’s back”. Can you relate? Are you handling everything well on the outside but feeling like you’re going to explode on the inside? Should you be exposed?
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5. God knew and appointed Jeremiah back then just as he does for you and I today! He knows all of us by name, and we get so caught up in our day-to-day routines that we seem to forget that. He has a hope, and a future, and a destiny for all of us. Let us not get so engulfed in our tasks and schedules that we lose sight of that. Maybe the Lord is telling us to slow down in this season. We were meant to live in a state of worship, not worry.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Your Fellow Able Mom,
Nicole Gibson
Dear Lord, thank you for making us in your image, beautifully whole and worthy of love. Strip away the calendars of busyness and the rushed schedules. Help us to see how we were created to be like you, and as such, we are not worthless or useless. Help us to seek your presence and truly believe that we are deeply loved, cherished, treasured and sought after. Amen.
Connect with Nicole: FB: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.eppers/ IG: nicolegibson1225 If you didn’t hear about Mom Comm 2023, when and where, join Able Moms Communities and watch our video here. Don't miss our version of moms-night-out every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CST - laugh with your Able Moms team live on Facebook (Not an Able Mom Member yet?) Join us! Start here AbleMoms.org Follow Able Moms on IG at https://www.instagram.com/able_moms/