Bonjour! It is lovely to have you drop by, let’s begin our time of tea & reflection together.
This particular blend I’m brewing today was given to me as a Mother’s day gift. It is Earl Grey blended with lavender & rose petals.
As I sip this very tasty blend, the taste & aroma instantly transport me to a movie scene I saw many years ago filmed in France.
A naive young woman goes to Paris
To learn Fashion photography. She finds romance while there with a handsome photographer but realizes that the romantic notions she has for a man back home has not left her.
After seeking advice from an older wiser lady she goes on a quest to find herself in Parìs.
She takes long walks, journals while sitting in quaint cafés, photographs scenes of Paris & has new adventures…a growth & transformation has begun.
On returning to her hometown, she arrives transformed as a very sophisticated & beautiful woman, gone is the young girl.
But sadly the naive notions of romance for this ideal man has remained.
When the man of her dreams sees her…
He initially doesn’t recognize her, so she sets out to make it happen.
And soon realizes that this ideal soul mate, is but an allusion for he has never had any romantic desires for her…until…her new look!
Another man on the other hand, had always seen & recognized her true inner beauty & had always thought her beautiful…
With twists & turns to the story, the Other becomes the One as she finally realizes that he has always seen her true qualities, the very essence of who she is, which had only been enhanced by her growth & transformation from the girl into the woman.
This has me pondering on our hearts…
We can have ideas, ideals, notions & thoughts on what desires we have in our hearts…can’t we? We all do it!
Then we consciously or subconsciously set about to make these happen, in the way we think they should happen!
We think that these will make our lives better, healthier, richer, more blessed, easier or a little more perfected.
These notions can be quite innocent things initially either with people, experiences, careers, position, wealth or lifestyle.
But these ideals can also become obsessive hunts for an illusive treasure…
While convincing ourselves that these quests are absolutely valid & essential, as after all, these are the true desires of our heart & of course will be so wonderful to have…
Hmmmm!
Over the last 30 years, especially in my professional life as a clinical Counselor, I have seen so many people give their hearts to pursuits that end up extremely unhealthy for them & their families.
The wisest of men said… where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!
Matthew 6:21
Let us ask ourselves dear friend, what treasures are we pursuing in our lives that we have convinced ourselves are all important?
Are they actually taking away from the true treasure of our life the lover of our soul. Who is the One, Jesus Christ.
Who has always seen our true beauty & qualities which He created & can only be truly enhanced through growth in Him!
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or
In Prayer
© 2018 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo on Pexels.com
Tea With Jennifer, living Grace one day at a time... 
First off, the tea sounds wonderful. It is painful to watch women pursue the wrong men. I thank God(literally) that He brought me my husband who is a wonderful life companion, not a romantic fantasy.
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The tea is wonderful Elizabeth, very unusual but delicious.
Yes, I too am very grateful to the Lord for bringing my husband along, he is a lovely companion on this journey through life, especially after losing my late husband.
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What a gift to have two fine husbands.
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Yes, I truly have been blessed with two amazing men, both definitely gifts from the Lord.
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This is such a beautiful post. We do chase after treasures that in reality are not treasures at all. You are so right, the Lord is our only True Treasure! It does sound like it was a good movie, thanks for sharing your insights. Sweet blessings to you!
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You’re welcome & yes He is the true treasure of all!
Blessings to you too!
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A lovely post and a good reminder that a person needs to sit with their soul, examine their life and seek guidance.
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Thank you, Bernadette.
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Jennifer, the tea sounds so delicious. Your thoughts are so inspiring. The scripture you quoted, “where our treasure is, there will our heart be is always thought provoking. The question I always need to ask myself is where is my treasure? I want to store up treasures in heaven. I have been married to my precious hubby for 45 years, what a blessing as He has led us to pursue Christ and all things that are eternal! Blessings~
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What an amazing blessing to be on the journey with the Lord together throughout your marriage…Blessings to you too!
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Jennifer, your description of tea and treats always creates a longing to be there in person to sample what you are enjoying and to enjoy you as well. These words are great to ponder. Often what we wished for was not nearly as grand an adventure as what the Lord brought for us.
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What lovely kind words Pam, thank you!
Having a chat over a cuppa is always my favorite thing to do…
Yes I agree, God’s plan for us is an amazing adventure.
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Great thought. What things in my life have I convinced myself are all important? And are they important in the big scheme of life or in God’s eyes? I can look back on my life and realize some of the things I thought were so important, were not really.
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Yes, I can say the same…what once seemed to be such a priority…was really sweating the small stuff that wasn’t God’s will for me at all!
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It is so easy to fall into seeking to fulfil our desires in the wrong ways- convincing ourselves that a certain thing will bring us happiness, whether that’s a job, a relationship, achieving a particular goal… It makes such a difference to realise that it is God we need above all.
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Amen Lesley!
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Dear Jennifer, I appreciate the wise warning to watch what we treasure. Without God’s guidance, I flounder. And when I don’t heed his Words, my spirit flops.
The story of the man who loved a lady as she truly is reminds me of both the Father’s love for us and my own husband’s acceptance of who I am (I loved this about him when we were dating; I still love this about him.).
Thank you for reminding me to be thankful for the unconditional love surrounding me.
You brewed a wonderful cup of inspiration.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
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Thank you Wendy for your kind words! How lovely to have you drop by & it was a joy to share a cuppa with you!
I know what you mean re not following God’s best for us & how our spirits get affected!
But isn’t it great that we can just reach out & He is there instantly there to turn that around!
Jennifer
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Amen. He is good, He is grace. 🙂
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Thanks for inviting us in for tea, Jennifer. I am not much of a tea drinker, but I know I would enjoy that Earl Grey and lavender.
You are quite right and you expressed it so well, the way we are so frequently focused on one idea, one preconceived notion of what life should be like, one “goal in life”, yet it is only a starting point.
Thank God, he takes us and uses the plans we have to guide us into his purposes, even if the path looks totally different, the route had to start where we were! Redemption is real, and satisfying.
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Absolutely! Lovely to have you drop by…
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Lovely tea with you, Jennifer! You’re so great at telling a story and weaving in gentle wisdom.
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Thank you Amy for your kind words… Lovely to have you drop by!
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Wise words, reminding us to follow our hearts to our Creator…. We are the apple of His eye! ❤ xo
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This is definitely something we all need to ponder: “Let us ask ourselves…what treasures are we pursuing in our lives…that we have convinced ourselves are all important…are they actually taking away from the true treasure of our life…the lover of our soul.” Thanks for making us think!
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You’re welcome Lisa…
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Oh, I love Earl Gray tea, so that sounded so lovely! And, what great thoughts about looking inside of our hearts to see where our true treasure lies. It is so easy to get tangled up in so many good desires, and forget to keep our ONE desire in first place. Thank you for these words and photos today!
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Lovely to have you drop by Bettie….
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Yes, Jesus is the true “lover of our souls.” May we look to Him for guidance and wisdom in our marriages and in our relationships with others. I love how you took the story from the movie and used it as an object lesson for life. By the way, I just recently saw that movie so the story was very familiar! 🙂 Blessings to you, Jennifer, and thanks for linking up with us at the #LMMLinkup!
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Yes, if we keep Him as the focus in our relationships in love, patience & understanding then they are blessings not burdens…
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Thanks for this reminder, Jennifer. In these present times of hurry and endless pursuits, we need to stop and think on these things regularly. Blessings to you.
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Definitely Boma, having time for reflection is so important for our mental, emotional & spiritual health.
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Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn? But she went off to cooking school I thought. Maybe the remake? Can’t believe no one else asked you the title! I so agree your real point, though, about wasting your time on an illusion. I did that for awhile, and I’m glad I woke up to it!
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The remake…
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I loved this line: “what treasures are we pursuing in our lives”
I’m not sure what treasures I’m pursuing. But I know I need to think about it.
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It’s thought provoking isn’t it Rebecca 😀
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