Viola, heartsease, and no one can do it like you!

About a week or so ago I received my favorite cards from a wonderful and talented artist named Jane Troup. She has beautiful art and as I blogged before, she has painted 3 of my dogs. I first saw her work in my Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine and decided to ask if she would paint my dogs....but I digress....

I recently ran out of cards and ordered more. I asked her to send whatever she wanted to send. I told her which of her paintings I especially liked so she could get a feel for my tastes. I was delighted to receive my cards and was so amazed to see she included two she did of Violas. (which I didn't mention)

As I looked at the card, it was as if I could hear our Lord saying how much He loved me and how "special" I am to Him. Funny thing is, I never really feel "special". I'm sure I have way too much baggage because of my dad's suicide (talked about on a previous post).

I remembered a devotional reading I did many, many, many years ago. I dug it up and decided to pass it along:

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
Philippians 4:11

Paul, denied of every comfort, wrote the above words in his
dungeon. A story is told of a king who went into his
garden one morning, and found everything withered
and dying. He asked the oak that stood near the
gate what the trouble was. He found it was sick of life and determined
to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was all out
of heart because it could not bear grapes, like
the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away
because it could not stand erect and have as fine
fruit as the peach tree. The geranium was fretting because it was
not tall and fragrant like the lilac; and so on through
the garden. Coming to a heart’s-ase, he found
its bright face lifted as cherry as ever.
“Well, heart’s-ease, I’m glad amidst all this discouragement,
to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the
least dishearted.” “No, I am not of much account,
but I thought that if you wanted an oak, or a pine, or
a peach tree, or a lilac, you would have planted
one; but as I knew you wanted a heart’s-ease,
I am determined to be the best little heart’s-ease
that I can.”

Others may do a greater work,
But you have your part to do;
And no one in all God’s heritage
Can do it so well as you.

-taken from Streams In The Desert" Volume One

As a side thought....Bear Grylls, of Man VS Wild made an interesting comment the other day. He was in the jungle of Ecuador. He couldn't get a fire going (first time ever). It was just too wet. He spent a miserable night cold and wet. In the morning he comes across a single purple flower high up in a tree. All around is green then this blossom is practically "yelling" out at him...."LOOK AT ME!" He says...."I like to think of it as God's extravagance....it's there, nobody might ever see it, but it's like nature can't help but create beautiful things".....

WAIT....thank God for YouTube:



Keep your head up! Look around you to God's extravance and understand we are all special!