Lifted Up

“The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven.”
Ezekiel 8:3
California Poppy

This photo was taken at the observation point of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. This California poppy flower may be passed up be thousands of visitors daily, but it caught my eye and made me think of a verse. Ezekiel 8:3 says, “The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven.” The tallest flower reminds me of how we should “lift up” from earth and reach towards heaven. It also shows how the higher you get, the brighter you become. I may have taken more photos of this flower than I did of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Inner Beauty

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment…instead, it should be that of your inner self…which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
1 Peter 3:3-4
Inner Beauty

A “modernized” version of Matthew chapter 6 says, “(27) Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? (28) All this time and money wasted on fashion–do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, (29) but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. (30)”If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers–most of which are never even seen–don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?”

This inspirational picture shows that just as a flower’s beauty blossoms from the inside-out, so should ours. If God can create amazing beauty in a flower that may never even be seen, then know that He has placed something beautiful inside us as well. As we reveal that beauty from the inside, our entire lives and the way the world sees us will change.