There is not one definition of the word MUCK that is the least bit pleasing or desirable: filthy soil, soil made up of decaying matter, ugly beyond any doubt, farmland dung! Yeah, I definitely want to feel like muck, or like I’m stuck in muck! NOT!!!
The definition of magnificent, on the other hand, is quite the opposite and very desirable! Impressively beautiful, extravagant, elaborate, striking, splendid in appearance, grand, noble, outstanding! Oh yes! Those are some amazing definers indeed!
But how, when you are stuck in the muck or worse, feel like muck, can you ever get to the place of magnificent? Is that possible? Can God really redeem your mucky circumstances? Would He really do that?
CONSIDER THE LILIES!!! You are likely familiar with the verse Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil or spin (worry or fret) but even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these!
Really, let’s consider the lilies…and the Lotus!
Lilies first! :) I have a real passion for rivers!! I love them for so many reasons!! 
( I’ll save that for a later post) My favorite flowers on the rivers in Florida are the Alligator Lilies. They look a lot like spider lilies. It’s a beautifully unique white flower that grows on a tall green shoot. You find them in the most unlikely places… They are indeed beautiful and grow in the marshiest muckiest places. They love soil rich in organic, decaying matter!! Without this decaying matter, they would not be near as beautiful. We might not even notice them. I love them!!
( I’ll save that for a later post) My favorite flowers on the rivers in Florida are the Alligator Lilies. They look a lot like spider lilies. It’s a beautifully unique white flower that grows on a tall green shoot. You find them in the most unlikely places… They are indeed beautiful and grow in the marshiest muckiest places. They love soil rich in organic, decaying matter!! Without this decaying matter, they would not be near as beautiful. We might not even notice them. I love them!!
Now, the Lotus! Oh what a beautiful – BEAUTIFUL flower!!!!
The Lotus is rich with legend. Much of the legend of the Lotus is found in Buddhists culture, but let’s keep in mind, THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S AND THE FULLNESS THEREOF! Psalm 24:1
Just because someone else notices the beauty of God’s creation and applies it to a different religion doesn’t mean it isn’t God’s
The legend derives from the Chinese.
The Lotus grows out of the mud on a long, tall stalk.. It is a beautiful, fragrant, pure white flower! It grows on a flexible stalk that can literally bend in half without breaking. To the Buddhists it is a symbol of faithfulness. To the Chinese, it is a representation of perseverance - continuing through the most difficult circumstances until you rise to the full potential of your beauty – allowing the world to see how truly beautiful you are! It is strength. It is flexibility. It is endurance. It is true beauty. It is purity.
Yes, consider the lilies!! If God so clothes the flowers of the field, will He not more willingly provide for us. YOU ARE FAR MORE MEANINGFUL AND FAR MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ANY FLOWER!! YOU ARE HIS!!!! If He is willing to bring such magnificent beauty out of natures murkiest areas, how much more so will He do the same for you! Could it be, that He is using these situations that are coming against you – these things the enemy would love to have destroy you, as sort of a fertilizer to bring you to your fullest, greatest, truest beauty!!!
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