Julie's Raintree

💖 You Were Born To Sparkle!! 💖

I can't take credit for the title of this post. I was walking through a store the other day, & turned my head at just the right time & there it was. I don't believe in coincidences, but believe that it was the Lord speaking directly to my heart. This is what He said.

All of my life I have loved all kinds of sparkly things, glittering, shimmering, enchanting...

How we loved holding magic in our hands,

or hold it captive just for a moment...

Last summer was an unusually humid summer & as my daughter was looking out of the window at nighttime she gasped & ran outside. Of course I followed & we were greeted with a sight that I had never seen in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Behind our house, in the trees, there were fireflies, dozens, moving noiselessly, in the still, breathless night.

We were totally enchanted, & if we talked at all, it was only in whispers, lest we break the enchantment. One flew so close I could have easily touched it. Another lighted on me, literally. I scarcely breathed. I don't remember how long we stood in the firefly lighted darkness.

& we have witnessed several times the Northern Lights. Once, as we sat on the side of the hill in our pasture

& thrilled to watch the waves of light sweep across the sky & back again, our horse, Dudley, watched it with us. I can still feel his warm breath brush my cheek.

We lived on the prairie for several years & the sky was an open sky since there were so few trees, so we spent many nights laying on our backs on the ground star-gazing, many, many, magic moments...

We enjoyed woodstove heating for many years & one day will enjoy it again. There is something so soothing about wood heat as well as the hypnotizing flames, & the snap, crackle & pop (I called it my Rice Krispies fire! 🔥) of the wood as it sent out sprays of sparks. It sounded like good, hearty, firewood laughter!

Now for the time being, we settle for a "faux fire," which does add a certain ambience.

& it is cozy to

snuggle up to.

whether it's day or night.

Don't you love the star sparkles on the ceiling from the blowing glitter globe?? ✨

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Now, let's look at the definition of the word 'sparkle' to see where I'm going with this.

"sparkle":

"To shine brightly with flashes of light."

synonyms: glitter, glisten, twinkle, shimmer, dance, glow, effervescent, fire, panache, vitality, elan, zest, life."

I'm going to take one of the synonyms & define that also. "effervescent":

"merry, bubbly, cheery, perky, jaunty, sparkling, full of life...". Wow! This should describe us, you & me, in our ever awakening Christian womanhood. It can't be just womanhood because we need Jesus to constantly define or redefine what true womanhood is.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (italics are mine), that you may be able to discern what is that good, & acceptable & perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Let's ask ourselves, how do we, as Christian women, wives, mothers & homemakers, 'sparkle' to all of those around us? By serving. I don't know how the word 'serve' got such a negative connotation. We should look at it as an honor no matter what our station in life is or those we serve.

"By love, serve one another." (Galatians 5:13b)

People are God's heart. & what ever is His heart, I want it to be mine too. & serving our children & husbands, should be top priority in our lives first. By serving I mean making good, wholesome meals, make sure they have clean clothing ( & mothers, this means clothes that are modest & discreet for your daughters. You are teaching your daughters purity.) providing biblical discipline, also biblical teaching on proper conduct & manners, teaching them responsibility. I've just scratched the surface here of course, for our services are innumerable, but richly satisfying.

As for serving our husbands, did you know that one of the ways to a man's heart truly is his stomach? & that is not a bad thing either. I prepare meals for my husband & children ( & whoever else I cook for!) because I love them & I love doing for them what will bless them. & I in turn, receive love back for this very basic of basics. So, I fill my husband's stomach (my act of love service) & I get his heart in return. A pretty good exchange I'd say! & also at the end of a hard day he get's my feet & I get a good foot rub! Or vice versa. A little levity here, but there is so much more to loving through service & loving service. Jesus said in Luke 22:27 "I am among you as the One who serves." & we all know what He said about the greatest of all being the servant of all. But it has to be with the right attitude, a "sparkle" attitude. & for those hard to serve at times, here is the perfect scripture for us. "& whatever you do, do it heartily, (with sparkle!) as to the Lord & not to men."

Colossians 4:12

There was a song written years ago that the Lord brought to my mind when He showed me my 'Sparkle' cup. It's called, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are."

"Brighten the corner where you are

Brighten the corner where you are

Someone far from harbor you may guide

across the bar,

so Brighten the corner where you are.

Brighten the corner where you are,

do not wait to shed your light afar.

to the many duties ever near you now be true,

Brighten the corner where you are.

Here for all your talent you may surely find a need.

Here reflect the Bright & Morning Star.

Even from your humble hand

the Bread of Life you feed,

Brighten the corner where you are."

There is so much darkness in the world that those we love are exposed to. & so much darkness that we need to expose to light. When we light our 'sparkler', we bring life to the person, the situation, the circumstance, & after all, women are the birthers of humanity, so let's take it to a richer & deeper level.

Our corner, our spheres of influence, is where we are to sparkle! Our families first, our brothers & sisters in Jesus, & the whole, wide, world that's in our neighborhood & beyond. Wherever we go, there should be a trail of sparkles left behind! ✨