Liz Curtis Higgs - Rise and Shine: A Devotional

RISE AND SHINE

Copyright 2002 by Liz Curtis Higgs

Material previously published in "While Shepherds Washed Their Flocks" and Other Funny Things Kids Say and Do (1998), Help! I'm Laughing and I Can't Get Up (1998), Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Have I Got News for You! (1997), Forty Reasons Why Life Is More Fun After the Big 40 (1997), Reflecting His Image (1996), Only Angels Can Wing It, the Rest of Us Have to Practice (1995), "One Size Fits All" and Other Fables (1993), Does Dinner in a Bucket Count? (1993). Portions previously appeared in Today's Christian Woman, a publication of CTI, Inc.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations noted NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org.)

Scripture quotations noted KJV are from the HOLY BIBLE, KING JAMES VERSION.

Scripture quotations noted NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973,1978,1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NLTare from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted AMP are from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE. Old Testament. Copyright 1962, 1964 by The Zondervan Corporation (used by permission); and from THE AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation (used by permission).

"An Encourager" trademark is registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Liz Curtis Higgs.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Higgs, Liz Curtis.
Rise and shine / Liz Curtis Higgs.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-7852-6578-3
1. Devotional literature, English. I. Title.
BV4832.3 .H54 2002
242dc21

2001054626

Printed in the United States of America
02 03 04 05 06 BVG 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

RISE AND SHINE,
SISTER MINE

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

ISAIAH 60:1

When you rise from your bed, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and the tangles out of your disheveled hair, how many minutes does it take before you can truly shine?

Oh , dear. That long.

Might I have just two of those precious minutes each morning?

Two minutes to whisper a gentle word of encouragement , to brush a feather across your funny bone , to prove how beautiful and valuable you are to God .

Say yes, sis.

The most important part will be our first few seconds together, as you drink in the living water of God's Word. My own simple words will follow, closing with a prayer from my heart to yours. Only two or three pages, then you can put Rise and Shine aside and reach for your morning coffee.

Like the varied images on the cover of this book, the tone and subject of each day's message will be quite different-some are playful, some inspiring, others more serious. Promise me you'll only read one chapter a day, or you might suffer from spiritual whiplash!

You'll find occasional references to surveys, or quotes from, say, "Nancy from New York." For years I gathered information and storiesfrom readers, and so they're quoted here. Just think of them as friends you haven't met yet.

If you've already read several of my seven nonfiction titles publishedby Thomas Nelson, from Does Dinner in a Bucket Count? to "While Shepherds Washed Their Flocks" and Other Funny Things Kids Say and Do, then-bless your generous, supportive heart!- this will not be new material for you. But if you and I have met only recently across the printed page, then Rise and Shine will be the perfect way for us to catch up with one another. The '90s were, after all, a busy decade for us both.

Perhaps you are doing more than rising from the comfort of your bed. You may be rising from the depths of a disastrous lifestyle or a painful relationship, determined to start fresh. Arise, beloved sister.Strong hands await to hold you steady.

Perhaps you fear you've lost your shine. The glow of good health, the sparkle of young love, the shimmer of a new mother's tears-all have faded into a gray sort of daily grind. Fear not. Turn with me toward the radiant One and let his light be reflected in your countenance like the dawn of a summer day.

Two minutes. No calories, no squat thrusts, I promise.
Rise, sister mine. And shine.

Lord, what an honor it will be to start the day with you.
Give me the strength to lift my head,
the courage to lift my heart,
the joy to lift my spirits,
and the confidence to lift my eyes and see you
rising and shining in me.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

ECCLESIASTES 3:1 1

Looked in the mirror yet this morning, babe? And did you like what you saw?

Most of us see double chins, tiny wrinkles, ugly blemishes, spreading crow's-feet, dark circles under our eyes-the list goes on and on.

Truth is, we seldom look in a mirror unless we're looking for a problem.

"Does my hair look okay?"

"Do I need more lipstick?"

"Is my slip showing?"

And the classic: "Does this dress make me look fat?"

What if this morning you saw a woman who is uniquely created by God in his image? A woman who isn't "better than" or "worse than" or in need of an overhaul. And one who is definitely happy! Because trust me, that's what I see.

When I look at you, dear one, sitting out there in the third row at one of my presentations, when I see your upturned face, full of life, ready to laugh, I do not see wrinkles, blemishes, or doublechins. I do not see figure flaws or flabby thighs. I see a beautiful woman. One who is radiantly alive, willing to learn, ready to grow, expectant, joy-filled, eager to embrace all that life has to offer.

You are something else!

That's not me, you may say. I'm not in your third row. I'm here at home and I'm miserable and I hate my lumpy body, and radiant is not what I feel.

Understood.

What I'm talking about transcends feelings and moves into the realm of faith in order to become fact. That radiant, alive woman is in you , even if you can' t see her yet. She was hiding in me for decades before I realized it, and she is in you now. And she wants out!

The Lord created and defined beauty in our world. Surely he didn't make lovely butterflies, exquisite flowers, and gorgeous sunsets,and leave out womankind, the crown of his creation? Not likely!

When we stop listening to what Madison Avenue and Hollywood tell us is beautiful, and start listening to our hearts and God's Word, they will not steer us wrong. Even though we may never look like ultrathin models or movie stars, those famous women (poor things) will never get to look like us!

By God's design, women come in all shapes and sizes-large and small, short and tall. In every home, in every workplace, in every social setting, in every church, there are as many different sizes, shapes, colors, and characteristics as there are women.