Tangled

Have you (women) ever opened a jewelry box only to discover the necklace you intended to wear had become tangled with other chains and items? There the treasured adornment was, knotted together and even perhaps beyond salvaging.
If I had to share a description of today it would probably be that. Among the crowd of over three hundred women and children there were beautiful faces, colorful skirts and woven shawls, all "tangled" together on a hillside in the city. And there in that crowd were significant numbers of hearts that felt they were beyond salvaging...

until they heard the message of the love of Christ.

I trust the promises of the Word. It does not return to the Father void, but accomplishes what He has purposed. I trust the promise if Christ be lifted up He will draw men (women and children) unto Himself. I trust that in the chaos of so many kids scrambling for beads, balloons and candy (of which we ran out of all) the Spirit was busy creating new life, new hope and precious redemption.

I have to trust it. There is no Plan B, just as there is only one Way, one Truth and one Life.

And there is another reason I have to trust His plan and process on days like today - I don't have much patience.

Whenever I found a tangled piece of jewelry, I generally just tossed it in the trash. Or if I really liked it or it was too valuable to toss, I would wait until one of my friends came over and I would sheepishly inquire if they would "do me a favor." I would hand the disaster over and they would patiently sit with a safety pin, or some other tool required for the task and untangle my mess.

I have been blessed with many friends who are detail oriented, have patience, and actually enjoying doing such things. They can actually even accomplish the unraveling process without using even one expletive! I suppose I used up the allotment when I opened the jewelry box.

I shared and thanked one of my friends recently for being "that kind" of friend. I know our God is the same way. Whatever treasure is before us, tangled mess or not, He is the kind of friend you can just hand the thing over to, and with great patience, mercy, grace and lovingkindness, He will sit right down with you and fix it.

He sat with us today.

He also did the Chicken Dance (again)!

Turning it over
Charlynn

"If we could see the floor of God's immediate presence, we would find it strewn with the "toys" of God's children who have said - this is broken, I can't play with it anymore, please give me another present, only one in a thousand sits down in the midst of it all and says - I will watch my Father mend this. God must not be treated as a hospital for our broken "toys," but as our Father." Oswald Chambers "Not Knowing Where"
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T