Good morning and happy Monday, the last Monday before JESUS' birthday bash:)
I pray the morning has started off on a sweet note and that the entire day follows suit.
In prayer this morning as I sat in the quiet splendor of my home, I found myself being filled with anxiety the more I prayed, this does not happen often and when it does I have to really concentrate on staying on track with my chat with God. I take it as a sign that I am on the right track and that satan does not want me to be where I am. I continued on in prayer, refusing to allow the little irritants to take me over. God is so amazing, and for satan to battle so hard to break my train of thought and redirect me, I know I must be doing something right. I have talked to several people this week who have revealed to me that they do not feel worthy of God's love, that they have made such mistakes and poor choices that they could never be forgiven. I have stressed to them that as long as we are here on earth we WILL make mistakes, we WILL make poor choices and we will SIN. I asked God to bless each person I have talked to with knowledge, better than I can share, of his unconditional love, to warm their hearts and know that they are worthy, in their humility they are closer to Him than they ever have been. I asked God to bless each of you with peace in your hearts, calm in your spirits and comfort in your bodies. I asked him to continue to bless those suffering broken hearts, those battling with addictions, and depression, those struggling with "overcoming" no matter what there is to overcome. I asked him to allow us his strength when we are weak, his "smarts" when we feel "dumb" his compassion when we feel callous, his love when we feel hate and his generosity when we feel selfish. I asked him to nudge us with gentle reminders this entire week what we will be celebrating on Sunday. I asked all of these sweet and tender blessings to be given us in the name of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Psalm 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
New International Version (NIV)
I came across this story this morning and knew as proof positive that it would be what I needed to post today, it goes hand in hand with all of us feeling like we should just be pushed to the back of the drawer because we no longer have value. I pray it will open some eyes and bring realizations to those in need !
The Re-Knitting Hand of God
by Marilyn Ehle
Look! I am doing a new thing… (Isaiah 43:19)
The owner of an upscale boutique led me through the aisles of his shop filled with exquisite clothing. It only took a sidelong glance at a few price tags to determine that this was a shop far beyond any budget I could ever hope to have. Quite unexpectedly, the owner-friend said, “Pick out something for yourself, Marilyn,” but instead of quickly choosing a garment, I seemed stunned into inactivity. Finally our friend handed me a beautiful black and white sequined sweater of intricate design. “This is perfect for you.” In just moments the gift was wrapped in fine tissue, thrust into a bag and we walked out of this shopper’s heaven. In the months and years ahead I wore this lovely sweater on many semi-formal occasions and always felt like some woman out of the pages of the fashion magazine Elle.
But one day I noticed that a few threads binding the front of the knitted garment to the bottom band were loose. Soon the entire front had unraveled from the band and my lovely sweater was in fragments. Its parts were still beautiful but because it was no longer whole, my fine garment was no longer wearable. I carefully folded my beautiful sweater and placed it in the back of a drawer where it seemed destined to be unused and unusable, merely a pleasant memory.
Frequently we look at what we consider our human weaknesses or the “little sins” which plague us and decide they are just part and parcel of the human condition. We allow ourselves to be lulled into believing that a consistently negative attitude, lack of discipline in any area of life, listless study of the Bible, or nonchalant attitude toward physical suffering in the world around us are merely actions and attitudes “common to man.” We measure ourselves against what is considered the norm and become complacent with far less than God’s intended holy purposes for our lives.
We have become like the beautiful sweater tucked into a corner of the drawer, remembering past days when we were seen as reflections of God’s glory, when we glowed with the joy of submission to His will, but we now lie unused and unusable, with merely pleasant memories of our past abundant life.
But the story of my sweater didn’t end in the drawer. One day a new friend, an accomplished knitter, showed me some of her beautiful work and I told her the story of my sweater. “Oh, I could fix that so it would be like new,” she said with confidence. I doubted her word and skill at first, but finally placed my sweater into her hands. Imagine my surprise and delight when only a week later she handed me a re-created sweater with not a trace of its former fragmented condition. It had been restored to its former glory and subsequently was worn on many occasions. When I frequently received compliments on my black and white designer sweater, I smiled and said “thank you,” but another kind of smile was in my heart. Only I knew that this sweater had once been put aside as unwearable but had been made new.
What a thrill it must give God when we allow Him to re-create us on a daily basis so that others look at us and see the beauty of Jesus. We know we have been fragmented and maybe even thrust into the dark corners of drawers for periods of time, but God is always willing, ready and able to re-knit us into beautiful reflections of His glory.
