Monday, May 30, 2022

Costumes - Cathy Joy Hill

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV

I watched these little ones run up and down the street. And envied them.

All the ballerinas and the supermen. The pirates and the princesses. I envied them. My youngest girl had debated what to be for more than a month. There is magic in hiding behind a mask. For one short moment to be something we are not, something bigger or better or brighter or stronger.

As adults, we play a dozen different roles that expose and exhaust. Rarely do we get to hide. Rarely can we pretend we are anything but who and what we are. It defines us. Our titles. We are Moms or Dads or volunteers or teachers or students or workers. We are housewives or hostesses, holding a thousand things in two seemingly too small hands. Oh, for one day to run and hide or be behind something that isn’t in the spotlight.

To be someone or something else for one day sounds so precious, especially on days when our skin feels tight and burdensome or wrinkled and old.

I get it. God tells us we are His workmanship, yet we busy ourselves reworking ourselves far too often. Taking what is His and hiding or regretting or reliving or redefining. We want a healthy body. He wants a holy life.

Other than the touches He fashioned in the womb, God rarely, if ever, looks on the outside. Instead, he sees this marvelous heart, soul, and spirit wrapped and protected in skin we often cover and paint.

What if we turned our focus inward to His beating heart? And what if our first thoughts were of Him and heaven and eternity when we reached outward? Wouldn’t the glances in the mirror become shorter, the fretting over the bank account be less frequent, and the wondering about the kids and careers be shadowed by the light radiating from Him?

I want to live a life exposed to the gospel and reveal a God who passionately wants His people to live as if every moment were a miracle from Him. Our redefining would become rejoicing, and hallelujah would replace our hiding. We would find contentment and define joy.

Will you release what you may not be for the embrace of all God is?

Tweetable: Are you wearing a costume? 


Cathy is a writer, teacher, and entrepreneur. She met her husband Brian while studying in Paris, France. They make their home in Geneva, IL, with their four children and their daughter-in-love. She loves writing about the wonder and whimsy of life and her love for Jesus. Her first book is Destination: Fierce, Moving from Fear to Fierce. Learn more about Cathy at www.cathyjoyhill.com.


Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on FacebookPinterestTwitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

No comments:

Post a Comment