As I convalesce from minor surgery this week, I am grateful for ministry friends like Lisa Burkhardt Worley to be this week’s guest blogger. Lisa is a friend and mentor. I know you will love her as much as I do.
Have you ever had one of those bad hair days? I have them almost every day. My hair has always been my nemesis. Thick, wavy and fine, it has a mind of its own, and just the slightest wind or humidity will cause one of my locks to go AWOL.
I am always searching for the latest hair products that might smooth the frizz, and I have a tendency to stair at other people’s silky hair, wondering what their secret is.
It’s a lifelong battle to attain perfection, but I will probably not see it on this side of Heaven.
Sounds trivial, but when it comes to our hair, clothes or makeup, a lot of us are on a heated pursuit to improve the way we look.
But the truth is, God is happy with us just the way we are.
Maybe that’s why it’s such a battle to change our appearance. Maybe that’s why it takes so much time. Maybe that’s why it’s so frustrating.
I admire those women who can walk out of the house without makeup. I think they are free from the chains of perfectionism. I did it once, and ran into someone from church that strained to recognize me. It was the first and last time I left without a touch of mascara on.
I wonder what would happen if we pursued God the way we women pursue beauty?
Instead of two hours at the hair salon, we spend two hours in the Word.
Instead of the thirty minutes with the blow dryer, curlers and flat iron (daily regimen), we commit thirty minutes to prayer.
Instead of an all-day shopping trip, we set aside a day to get to know our Abba Father.
It’s a fast from superficial beauty to find something more eternally beautiful.
Did you know that God pursues us the way we pursue beauty? He is the good shepherd who goes after us when we go astray.
In Ezekiel 34:11-12, the Sovereign LORD says, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.” Later in Ezekiel it says, “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak….” (Ezekiel 34:16)
Maybe you are in clouds and darkness right now and you could care less about how you look. I’ve been there. But from experience, I can assure you the shepherd is on his way to rescue you. He alone has what you need for strength. He has the healing balm that can’t be found in department stores. He can smooth out the rough places and the fly away desires. He has the ability to clothe us all in righteousness if we ask Him.
Today I am thankful for true beauty that can’t be bought. I am grateful that this beauty pursues me and is not fleeting.
A loving shepherd. There’s nothing more beautiful than that.
Lisa Burkhardt Worley is the founder of Pearls of Promise Ministries, a writing and speaking ministry designed to help women overcome past trials and dysfunction. The Pearls of Promise goal is to connect to real lives sharing God’s real love by teaching, mentoring, supporting and encouraging women. After a difficult childhood, God helped Lisa to overcome her own personal obstacles and has given her a desire to share what she’s learned from her life experiences. Burkhardt Worley is the co-author with Catherine Weiskopf of If I Only Had…Wrapping Yourself in God’s Truth During Storms of Insecurity. If I Only Had…recently won a Christian Literary Award. .It was also named “Best Non-Fiction Book” at the 2012 North Texas Christian Writer’s Conference, and was a second place finisher in the Deep River Books national writing contest, If I Only Had…is currently available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. Lisa is also the author, and co-editor of the Pearls of Promise devotional, which features 120 devotional “pearls” from 46 different authors from around the country. The devotional includes 20 devotions written by Lisa and is now available on Amazon.com, Amazon Kindle, BarnesandNoble.com and Barnes and Noble Nook. Lisa, Catherine Weiskopf, and Dallas media personality, Rebecca Carrell, also authored a new Bible study, The Un-Crowd: When God Calls You Out of the World to Do the Unpopular. It was taught in March-May, 2013 at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church which has been presented at numerous churches in the area. Lisa’s articles have been published in national Christian magazines, including WHOA women’s magazine, Power to Change, Sharing and Mitera Magazine.
Lisa earned her Masters of Theological Studies Degree at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2008. At Perkins, she was recognized as one of the top students in Division 1 Studies (Biblical Witness.) Lisa is a San Antonio, Texas native but moved to Flower Mound, Texas in 2005. She has been married to Jeff Worley for 27 years and has two children, Kyle, 25, and Bret, 18. Find Lisa at www.pearlsofpromiseministries.com on Facebook at /pearlsofpromiseministries or on Twitter @pearlsofpromise.
