Living on the 9th floor of an apartment building has its advantages. The view is great and I don't have to cut the lawn. There are some downsides to apartment living, too. Smelling the neighbor's lunch cooking each day gets a little old. All in all apartment life is what it is and adapting to it is part of the process of our life in Brazil.
One of the things I miss is being able to see plants like the ones that surrounded our home in the USA. I loved looking out the windows and seeing plants and flowers growing freely in our yard.
The architects of the building where we lived must have had this in mind when they built a small planter outside the main window of our dining area. The small planter is home to our small collection of plants.
These noble plants and flowers live between concrete, iron protection rails and a net we have up to keep small kids from falling through the window. Our plants live in a 12 inch space trapped inside protection that has nothing to do with them and their needs. Still, the plants are just as beautiful as any plants of their kind in the world. There nature has not been altered by the small space and the confining iron and netting.
As I see the plants each day, I am reminded that the life of Christ in me is able to thrive anywhere and bring beauty to any place.
At times I see Christians in such confined and cramped realities that I want to plant them in another place. Then I notice that they are there not for themselves. They are there because their beauty is makes a huge difference on the 9th floor of someone's life. The Great Architect put them there for now. He knows that the people who seem so bent on protecting themselves from everything have created crazy structures in which to live. So, He lets some of His prettiest flowers live their lives in tiny, cramped spaces. He knows they will be O.K. and He sees to their well-being every day.
Are you living trapped by other people's fears and need for protection? Let the life of Jesus bring beauty to that space right now. One day there will be no more cramped spaces for you. God is preparing your place in His Kingdom and there will be great views but no elevators, ninth floors or cramped lives. Thank God!
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David was a flower in King Saul's life. While David was bringing him beautiful music, he was thinking destructive thoughts toward him because he knew David could be the next in line for his throne. Saul was mentally disturbed while David was annointed by God; he was able to bring some peace to Saul's madness.
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