On Monday as I was taking my recycle trash out to the curb I saw a leaf in the shape of a heart.  I love nature and observing different things that God has made.  But I was in a hurry and needed to get my boys to school.  In the past I would’ve seen the leaf, accepted its uniqueness and then walked on and forgot about it.  However, I have a friend that over the course of several years continues to take pictures of different things she sees that are in the shape of a heart.  She has seen rocks, clouds, pictures, and much more.  So when I saw it I began to walk away and then thought of her and knew she would enjoy seeing this leaf.  I took a picture of it with my phone and then of course put it on Instagram.  I tagged Candy to it and of course, she loved it.  I put some hashtags to go along with the picture:  #godislove, #godisnear, and #heartshapedleaf. 

There were more ways I wanted to tag this picture, but I know I needed more words.

#Godisinthegutter

I haven’t mentioned this until now, but the leaf was in a gutter when I found it.  Or really it is the closest thing to a gutter in our neighborhood.  It was in the street but in the path where water drains from the road.  The wheels of my trashcan lined up perfectly with the leaf.  And after my hashtag that God is near, I thought , well that means that God is in the gutter.  And while that might be offensive to some who view God as an old man in a perfect white suit that never stains or dirties, I was given much comfort by this thought.  I have to admit that my life is pretty good, but sometimes I feel discouraged with different pieces of my life.  And on a dreary Autumn day when I thought about God waiting for ALL of us in the gutter I felt a comforting embrace come over me.  God is a god above all gods.  He is the only God and no one and nothing is greater than He.  So while we look at the gutter and see it as a sign of defeat and despair, God sees it as an opportunity.  God doesn’t see the gutter as defeat, because He knows that He cannot be defeated.  The gutter doesn’t scare him and so he comes to the gutter to drive out despair and defeat and bring us up out of it into His marvelous light.

#Godredeems

You can’t picture God in the gutter without realizing that only God redeems.  God takes a fallen leaf and beautifies a gutter.  God takes an addict and fills their veins with pure blood and their heart with love.  God takes the convict and gives them a new name.  God takes the ill-perceived perfectionist and shows them his perfect call for their life.  God takes the angry and gives them peace.  God takes the brokenhearted and wraps his arms around them holding them up in their direst times.  Over and over in scripture we see a God who gives something beautiful to people and after it has become ugly and the people have went their own way, he gives them another beautiful thing that brings them back to him.  God doesn’t do this because He loves being neglected and punished by His own creation, but because God’s heart is bent on redemption.  Sometimes God wipes the slate clean and starts over.  Sometimes God sends light in the midst of darkness and allows the light to re-create.  Sometimes God sends a heart-shaped leaf to give beauty to a wet, nasty gutter in the road.  He makes all things new.

#Godsendslovedown

I love finally living in a place that actually has the Autumn season.  The trees here in Arkansas are breath-taking as their green leaves change to an array of beautiful earth-tone colors.  There is something about a green-leafed tree that is gorgeous and perfect.  A tree that grows tall, spreads its branches, and whose leaves are a perfect green.  It is the sign that the tree has received everything necessary to grow correctly.  The amount of light and water have been perfect.  It is majestic to see.  Of course we can also see the beauty in a tree that as the season of great sunlight and rain morph into a season of cool air, dryness, and wind begins to change its color.  The leaves turn into bright reminders that the Earth is still turning and time continues to tick away and everything has its time.  The leaves begin to drop as winter desires to approach, creating a blanket of brilliant color on a bed of browning grass.  Perfection comes down to give light and life to the land that has lost its beauty.  And so does God!  A fallen leaf that gives beauty to barren blades of grass is like God who comes down in the form of Jesus to give beauty and life to a barren people.  God sent his Love, Jesus, down to the world.  And the beauty of Jesus was just enough to save it.  And as the leaves trickle down, I’m reminded that not only do trees send down their leaves to give beauty to the land only to die and regenerate, but God has done that as well through His son.  God sends love down.  Not once, but All the time!

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.  You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. -Psalm 51:17


I find myself many times in my life with what I feel is a broken spirit.  Most times when I feel this way it causes me sadness, discouragement, and self-examination.  The broken spirit is something that happens to everyone.  Sometimes it is because there is healthy dose of pride being exerted.  However, there are those times when the people we know, don't know, or even love break our spirits.  Intentionally or unintentionally we feel a punch in the gut from life and loved ones, not because we need humility, but because they feel the need to share their displeasure with us.  There are those times we can even justify the desire and action of breaking another person's spirit, simply because we don't agree with their actions or we feel the responsibility to judge.  I find this verse above fascinating, because there is a breaking of pride and the author is self-inflicting the backseat of life so that God can be the driver.  If I swell up with pride may I be one who can offer a broken spirit to the Lord and a contrite heart, because He cannot reject this posture.  

My heart breaks though when I witness either myself or someone I know force a broken spirit and contrite heart on another.  Jesus who was perfect and God in the flesh did not desire to break the Spirit of the people, but rather chose a unique path to love someone into repentance.  Think about some of the stories we know about Jesus.  What if they were different.

And so Jesus instructed the adulterous woman to beg for mercy until he put down his rock.

Zacchaeus you are the scum of the earth and you should feel the burden of guilt until you start giving away money

Well...if you hadn't had so much sin and thought more about God you wouldn't have been an invalid for 38 years.  Get up and cry out that God will save your wretched soul and then you can walk.

Who touched me?  No really, who touched me?  I don't just give my power to anyone.  Why do you think you're bleeding?  Fix your heart and then maybe God will fix your illness.

It would be most difficult to love this type of Jesus.  And we would quickly see that this is not the heart of God.  Calling down people so that they will look up is an appalling method of evangelism.  One of my mentors, Randy Harris, says "What you win people with, is what you win people to."  

If we want to win people to a Jesus that matters and that will change their lives, then we have to be careful about how we share His story.  Jesus has a story that loves others and wins them to God because of who God is, not because of how awful Humans behave.  When I was in college the main reason I didn't pledge a social club (fraternity) is because the common ingredient among them was that they "broke you down, in order to build you up."  And they justified this move with scripture and the practice of Christianity.  We must be careful not to bring that into our walk with God and others.  Life is hard enough and the people we come in contact with don't need another reason to hate Christians or feel horrible about who they have become in this life.

If we will just be people who extend a loving savior to the world I guarantee that the Love that God has for them will break their spirit and give them a repentant heart.  We won't have to call them names, list their sins, quiz them on their ethics, or make them give promises we would never keep ourselves.  All we will have to do is show them who Jesus really is and they themselves will take on humility and live a life of Psalm 51.