A Better Purpose

I notice that my glorious peonies no longer hold the same beauty today. They seem too big for themselves.  They collapse onto the grass and dirt.  Even when coaxed by a cage to stand tall and firm, they outgrow it and fall. 

I'm standing in front of this bush, and I think about the weight of self-focus and self-absorbing tendencies that make us collapse and suffer in the prison of our own egos.

"I have a better purpose for you," I say with garden shears in hand.  "You will make the world beautiful, so just stop thinking about yourself all day long."  I'm laughing at these fat peonies and taking a good long look at my own spiritual tendencies. 

Balancing introspection with the mission to love a hurting world challenges me some days.  God takes us in hand, prunes us, and uses us to showcase beauty to a hurting world. 

Otherwise, we just collapse under our own weight into the dirt.  God, prune me!  Lift me up from the dirt and use me!

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Have you found a good balance between self-focus and focus on others?