Oh what joy it brings to my heart even thinking about it...Jesus, the son of God, chose His first 'sign' or miracle to be at the wedding of a young couple who were just starting out their lives together. It came three days after He had called the first five of His disciples. and he chose a quiet miracle...not a flamboyant one! He quietly met a great need for this couple of humble means. In the culture of that day, to have run out of wine would have been a tremendous embarrassment. In fact, it would have started the whole marriage off on the wrong foot. Mary brought the need to Jesus....and then she told the servants to do whatever He said. You see, Mary already knew Who He was! She had lived with Him for 30 years as her son, and she had certainly seen Him take care of many, many needs. She didn' t know how He would meet the need, she just knew He would. Ladies, we need to do likewise...bring our needs to Him and with an expectant heart, do what He says!
Jesus told the servants to take the six stone pots (significant that He used empty clay vessels!)that were used for ceremonial cleansing and to fill them with water...together they would have held about 120 gallons...once filled, the servants were to take the 'contents' to the bridegroom. Can you imagine what those servants must have thought? They were the ones who put the water in the pots...did they dare now take that water to the bridegroom as if it was wine? They had a choice to make, and they chose to obey Jesus....and as they went, some where along the way the water turned into wine...not just any wine either, but the guests commented on the 'best wine' having been saved to the last. WOW!!
Is your vessel empty? Are you in an awful crisis? Pray, and read His Word, and then ask Him to show you where in your life you need to obey His truths. Then follow those instructions. He has has not changed....in fact, He is the NEW WINE and His Provision is abundantly above that which we can even fathom!!! Let Him turn the hurts in your life from water to wine.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
In Pieces
Below is a picture of my precious grandsons. They are sitting on a quilt that I made from my husband's favorite shirts. When our son was in college, heavy flannel shirts called "big-shirts" were the style, and our son had several...he would come home for the weekend and a flannel shirt would sometimes disappear from his closet, and my husband would come out wearing it with a twinkle in his eye. We always joked about it and then for Christmas for a few years I bought them identical flannel shirts.
As I was going through my husband's things a few weeks after his death, I drew those shirts close around me and crumpled into the floor crying. Oh what precious memories! I knew I couldn't part with the shirts. Something special had to be done with them. Then the idea for the quilt came and with Christmas approaching, what better gift could I give our son? Dismantling the shirts was very painful because it so closely resembled what had happened to our lives but the joy of the new "gift" brought healing.
For each of us who feel our lives have been dismantled, I believe God wants to take the pieces and do a creative work. We have to be willing to give Him those pieces no matter how painful it is, and then trust His heart with them even when we can't trace His hand. He truly does still has a good plan for our lives. Father, help us to give You the pieces and help us to trust Your heart to weave a beautiful tapestry from the pain. For I know the plans I have for you, that are for good and not for evil to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
As I was going through my husband's things a few weeks after his death, I drew those shirts close around me and crumpled into the floor crying. Oh what precious memories! I knew I couldn't part with the shirts. Something special had to be done with them. Then the idea for the quilt came and with Christmas approaching, what better gift could I give our son? Dismantling the shirts was very painful because it so closely resembled what had happened to our lives but the joy of the new "gift" brought healing.
For each of us who feel our lives have been dismantled, I believe God wants to take the pieces and do a creative work. We have to be willing to give Him those pieces no matter how painful it is, and then trust His heart with them even when we can't trace His hand. He truly does still has a good plan for our lives. Father, help us to give You the pieces and help us to trust Your heart to weave a beautiful tapestry from the pain. For I know the plans I have for you, that are for good and not for evil to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Monday, June 27, 2005
The Journey from Wife to Widow
Ladies, most of you are not widows...but perhaps there is something in this writing that will minister to you...number one that God is faithful to equip us for whatever place we are called to walk...
I never wanted to be a widow, not that anyone does, but when I began this journey twenty-two months ago, all I could feel was extreme pain and loss. I knew life as I had known it was over, and it was.
I recalled how eagerly I had approached my wedding day almost thirty-three years before. Marriage was what I had dreamed of all of my life, and even though it came with many adjustments, I loved my role as Mike’s wife. I thought of other dreams that were fulfilled during those precious years of marriage….the title of “Mom” was probably the most awesome, although becoming a grandma ranked up there, too!
Each one of those new assignments had come without instructions but eagerly I had searched for information that would equip me for each role. I had talked with others, read books, and investigated anything that would help me to be a better wife, mother, or grandmother.
Then abruptly, over night, I went from wife to widow – I didn’t recognize it then as a new role. I just saw it as an ending of my dreams. Yet finally, after many months of grieving, I realized that I stood with a choice: I could learn to embrace this as a new assignment and expect God to bring forth glory, or I could remain a broken vessel. Then I prayed, “God, help me to see the hidden treasure in this darkness.”
What treasure have I found so far?
· As I have learned to embrace this path as one chosen for me by God, my “alone” time has become precious time with Him. Isaiah 54:5 says “your Maker is your husband!”
· As I have learned to look to Him, expecting Him to turn this pain into glory, I have seen His hand move in wonderful and unexpected ways. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me that “His plans for me are for good and not for evil to give me a future and a hope.”
· As I have learned to count my blessings in the midst of the ambushes of grief, my pain has been eased. James 1:2-3 does say to “Count it all joy when you go through trials and tribulations.”
· As I have opened my heart to others who are hurting, I have seen II Corinthians 1:4 fulfilled…”who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”
Is this an assignment I would have chosen? No! But I am learning that there truly is treasure in the darkness. With His help, I will continue to search for it. Isaiah 45:3 LT And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name
I never wanted to be a widow, not that anyone does, but when I began this journey twenty-two months ago, all I could feel was extreme pain and loss. I knew life as I had known it was over, and it was.
I recalled how eagerly I had approached my wedding day almost thirty-three years before. Marriage was what I had dreamed of all of my life, and even though it came with many adjustments, I loved my role as Mike’s wife. I thought of other dreams that were fulfilled during those precious years of marriage….the title of “Mom” was probably the most awesome, although becoming a grandma ranked up there, too!
Each one of those new assignments had come without instructions but eagerly I had searched for information that would equip me for each role. I had talked with others, read books, and investigated anything that would help me to be a better wife, mother, or grandmother.
Then abruptly, over night, I went from wife to widow – I didn’t recognize it then as a new role. I just saw it as an ending of my dreams. Yet finally, after many months of grieving, I realized that I stood with a choice: I could learn to embrace this as a new assignment and expect God to bring forth glory, or I could remain a broken vessel. Then I prayed, “God, help me to see the hidden treasure in this darkness.”
What treasure have I found so far?
· As I have learned to embrace this path as one chosen for me by God, my “alone” time has become precious time with Him. Isaiah 54:5 says “your Maker is your husband!”
· As I have learned to look to Him, expecting Him to turn this pain into glory, I have seen His hand move in wonderful and unexpected ways. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me that “His plans for me are for good and not for evil to give me a future and a hope.”
· As I have learned to count my blessings in the midst of the ambushes of grief, my pain has been eased. James 1:2-3 does say to “Count it all joy when you go through trials and tribulations.”
· As I have opened my heart to others who are hurting, I have seen II Corinthians 1:4 fulfilled…”who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”
Is this an assignment I would have chosen? No! But I am learning that there truly is treasure in the darkness. With His help, I will continue to search for it. Isaiah 45:3 LT And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name
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