I wish I were a consistent blogger, but I'm not. There's just never enough hours in a day, huh? But when I come across devotionals that say 'Share me, please!' they serve two purposes - for me anyway. Sharing the wisdom of others and also staying in touch. With that being said, enjoy :)
This is a reminder of the beautiful way God redeems. He redeems in the moment with doses of perspective. And He redeems, sometimes years later, with second chances. The same opportunity can come back full circle. Amazing how that happens. Praying that your full circle comes soon.
The other day a friend asked me if I ever get disappointed.
I said
yes and threw out a spiritually sound answer.
And then the next day happened.
The day where a really big disappointment whacked me upside the head and sent my heart sinking. I’d been asked to speak at a really big event — one of the biggest of my life — and then things fell apart.
Invited — thrilled — excited — honored-included –
turned into
Uninvited — bummed — sad — disillusioned — left out.
And while I still have solid spiritual perspectives to hold on to, my flesh just needs a minute to say,
“stink!”
Because sometimes things do stink.
But right when I wanted say, “
stink” a few more times, I spotted a bowl that’s been sitting on my dining room table for weeks now. My daughter found some caterpillars a while back, put them in a bowl, and has been holding them hostage ever since. I mean she’s been lovingly admiring them underneath a layer of cellophane.
Wouldn’t you know that those caterpillars formed cocoons inside that unlikely environment.
And then today, as I was muttering, “
stink” I glanced across that bowl and sucked the word back down my throat.
The cocoons were empty.
Expecting glorious butterflies, I had to chuckle when I got right over the bowl and closely examined the product of my little girl’s hopes for new life.
Moths.
I just had to chuckle. Yet another thing in my day that wasn’t quite right.
Or was it?
When she spotted the moths, she was beyond thrilled. Grabbing my hand, she led me outside, ripped off the plastic barrier, and watched the beauty of tiny wings beating — beating — beating and finally fluttering into flight.
Hmmmm.
As I watched her sheer delight with the rich evidence of life before her, she couldn’t have cared less if it was a moth or butterfly. A creature that once only knew the dirt of the earth had just been given the gift of flight. Reaching — soaring-up — up — and away.
And with that, this simple creature pulled the corners of my mouth up into a smile.
Disappointment only stings as long as you let it.
... but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan. Romans 8:28
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Until later :)
