Monday, June 18, 2012

Complete, Not Too Complicated

Welcome to His Table For Two!  We are delighted you stopped by.  I have a special guest blogger today ~ my friend Maria Reyes.  We pray you are blessed as she shares her heart for Him!  


Maria and her husband, Tito,
and their beautiful children

Complete, Not Too Complicated
 "For I am confident of this, 
that He who began a good work in you 
will be faithful to complete it..."
Philippians 1:6


Have you ever taken on a project and then half way through you wish you hadn't?  With the excitement of a first-time mother, I took on one of those huge projects many years ago for the love of my first-born son.  Titus loved Sesame Street as a toddler, and I over-zealously decided that I would paint all of his favorite Sesame Street characters in full-size on his bedroom walls. 

With enthusiastic ambition, I started my artistic project with Elmo and Dorothy, then I moved on to Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar and finally Big Bird.  Big Bird was enormous!  He took up one entire wall all on its own!

Whew...finally I was done!  

No, no, no, wait!  Super Grover!  I had almost forgotten Super Grover.  The room was not entirely complete without... Super Grover!  So, I decided that I would paint Grover suspended in mid-air in a flying position smack in the middle of Titus' biggest wall!


I knew exactly what I wanted Super Grover to look like.  Exactly!  But Grover in action was not an easy task.  Every time I attempted to sketch Grover's legs, they appeared to be dangling instead of flying.  Over and over and over,  I erased and re-sketched those long, furry, skinny, blue legs.  I grew so frustrated with Grover that at the end, I decided to leave him without legs at all!

Moving Titus' tall hutch across the room, I placed the convenient piece of furniture right underneath Grover.  It was perfect!  Perfect to hide the bottom part of Grover's body.  Only I would know Grover was unfinished and legless.  

The room looked great, even with Grover looking like he was flying from behind the hutch.  

But every time I saw Grover, I knew he was incomplete.  I knew I had not completed my Super Grover masterpiece.  Grover served as a gentle but poignant reminder to me.

So many times I have wondered Am I making it difficult for God to complete me and will be stubbornness or pride cause God to leave me this way?  Incomplete.  Just the way I had left Grover.  

See, I can be pretty difficult for Him to paint me just the way He always pictured me.  Not because He's not a great artist, but because I constantly resist Him.  There are things in my life that I refuse to surrender to Him.  And there are other things that I feel like no matter how hard I try to surrender them to Him, I can't.

Do you ever feel like you're a project too complicated for God to finish?

Philippians 1:6 tells us that God will never give up on us, no matter how difficult we may be or how complicated we make matters.  He doesn't leave us dangling.  He won't hide our imperfections behind a dresser because He didn't work to finish us.


The Lord diligently works on making us into the perfect masterpiece He created each of us to be.  You are not too complicated for our Creator!  He will never leave us unfinished.  He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it!

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

Dear Lord, forgives us for resisting your work in our lives.  Change is difficult.   It's so much easier and more comfortable to remain the same.  But Lord, deep, deep inside, we truly desire to be made perfect in our Creator's eyes.  We don't just want to appear to be godly by hiding our imperfections.  We want You to complete us and to make us holy, just as you are Holy.  Thank you for promising that you would never give up on us.  Amen.

As a visitor to His Table For Two, if you take a moment to leave an encouraging comment for Maria, you will be entered to win my newest favorite book (Lisa had me at "spiritually clumsy"!)!!! Lisa Harper's book "Stumbling Into Grace"

Stumbling Into Grace : Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman, Lisa Harper




© 2012 by Maria Reyes. All rights reserved.

27 comments:

Lynn Cowell said...

So well said, Maria~ Lord, make such moldable TODAY so you can complete, in your fashion, what You have started!

Anonymous said...

Maria, great story...such encouraging words. Yes, I have to allow the Lord to complete what He has started in me. Kemi

Danielle said...

Thanks so much for the reminder that He will finish what He has started! It may be slower than we would like or in a different way than we expect but He won't leave us hanging.

Erika said...

Maria,
I never realized how many talented women I knew.
How encouraing to know that the Lord will never give up on us. I feel like I keep praying for the same things, not because the Lord isn't listening to me but because I'm not listening to Him.

Beautiful devotional from a beautiful lady.

Carrie Turansky said...

Thanks for this timely reminder that God is still at work creating His masterpiece in and through us. I love the promise that He will complete what He has started. Our cooperation and yielding to His plan brings it all about sooner. Wise words, well said.
Blessings,
Carrie

Maria Facciolo said...

Beautifully said, & a beautiful reminder of what is and what is yet to come...thank you for sharing your story.

Anonymous said...

I now see that I am made up of many mini projects. I need to stop trying to work on these projects alone and let God be the one to work on them. I can only imagine if I surrender them to him, how much more he can use them for his glory! They will never be used for his glory if I continue to try and hide my "Super Grover". I am ready to move my hutch! Thank you Maria!

Jasmine

Maria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Maria said...

Thank you everyone for your support! Love you all,
Maria

Anonymous said...

Maria, thank you so much for sharing your heart, your writing voice speaks as clearly as your Bible Study Voice. I an encouraged to know and be reminded that God never gives up on me. I certainly have many unfinished art projects tucked away that I may never finish thanks again for your wonderful reminder,

Kathy B

Renee said...

Maria, what a beautiful reminder that God will never give up on us and he will continue to mold us into that beautiful masterpiece he planned us to be through him. We just need to surrender to his will for us. You words are truly a blessing to me. Thank you for sharing.

Renee

Anonymous said...

So very true. Changes are hard but I dont want to remain the same and I dont want to resist him. We sometimes think we can control things but only the almighty can. I handed it all to him and give all control for him to paint me as he sees me. Thanks Maria

Mandy Currie said...

Thank you for your post Maria, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I know I am an unfinished work in progress. We have to work hard to grow in our faith, our prayers and our study. Regards Mandy Currie (mandycurrie@googlemail.com)

Kimbo said...

Wow that is just what I needed to hear. Just this past weekend something happened that reminded me of how imperfect and incomplete I am. I am so grateful that God always loves me in spite of my failings and sees me as someone He loves and is till working with. I think it is more than just the floppy legs for me, lol, but praise God for His patience and grace. Thank u Maria for sharing.

Kimbo said...

Wow that is just what I needed to hear. Just this past weekend something happened that reminded me of how imperfect and incomplete I am. I am so grateful that God always loves me in spite of my failings and sees me as someone He loves and is still working with. I think it is more than just the floppy legs for me, lol, but praise God for His patience and grace. Thank u Maria for sharing.

Maria said...

Lynn, thank you for tuning in. I truly enjoyed having you as a leader at Proverbs 31. May the Lord bless you!

Maria said...

Thank you ladies for your transparency...I'm big on keeping it real with each other, ourselves and most importantly with God. I'm truly blessed by you all. Thank you.

Sharon Sloan said...

Maria ~ I just love you girlfriend! So delighted the Lord and your hubby gave you the "thumbs up" to share your heart and wisdom here. God is faithful.

I know I have left some "dangling legs" in my life and tried to push up a hutch to hide them. BUT GOD is so good that He doesn't allow us to be pretentious! SO thankful for HIS goodness!!

Authenticity pursuing holiness.

Keeping it real...keeping our eyes on Him!

Praying His richest blessings on you and yours!

Hugs and some big adventures,
Sharon

Anonymous said...

Maria,
As the mother of my three beautiful grandchildren and wonder wife to my son, you are an inspiration to them all and those around you. Everywhere you set foot, you are a living proof that God continues to mold you into a beautiful individual,as well as all others around you.

Love,

Elsa and Angel

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful and so true! Thanks Maria for reminding us of just how loved we are by s God who never gives up on us. XOXO love, Jenn

Anonymous said...

Maria, I often feel as though I hide myself behind a "hutch" because I don't like my "unfinished" self. I love this story/devotional. It really struck my heart. I love you and pray you soar like Super Grover!!!
Love, Ronna

Ginny Petrino said...

Hi Maria - Beautiful words. Very inspiring. When we stop looking at our lives through our own eyes - the way we have "painted us", we will be better able to see us as He is painting us. Only living in His Grace and Love is this possible. I thank my Lord that He has great plans for my life and that I don't have to struggle to make my plans work. Thanks so much for that reminder today Maria. I thank my Lord that part of his plan for me was making you my friend! Love you.

Anonymous said...

Maria,that was so great and so to the point. God has such great plans for us and if we don't resist Him....how much more beautifully it flows! Continue writing. You are gifted.
Love, jenn wood : )

Heather said...

Oh Maria!
I love this post! How many unfinished pieces there are to our imperfect selves and how beautifully God finishes each one even when we can't see in our human eyes, hearts. Thankful for this message on a day when I am tackling unfinished projects!! Blessings to you as you share more of how God is ministering to your heart!
Love,
heather

Maria said...

Thank you to all my friends and their encouraging words. It blesses me beyond words to know how many great women the Lord has placed in my life. Please continue to pray for God's will in my life, as I will continue to pray in the same way for each of you. Love you all!

ang vanzino said...

Maria, Thanks for the reminder! I loved your story (especially b/c I am in the Sesame stage with my son now :)) You are blessed...and a blessing. Love, Angela

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful how God's Word always comes true... when He said that we do not suffer alone. I feel exactly the way you expressed, that because I resist Jesus, I'm afraid I will never change... But faith is believing what we think is impossible right? God bless and thanks for posting and being honest.