Pearls of Wisdom

Job 28:18 “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned: And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls."(NAS)

The ‘holy tap’ on the shoulder came early this morning. My alarm had gone off and I was still snuggled in that comfy spot so hard to leave thanking the Lord for all He has blessed me with and the new day to move forward. It was then the ‘tap’ and I ‘saw’ a line of pearls on my shoulder. With a head still fuzzy from sleep it took a second for me to recognize they were pearls but at second glance, they were strung together like a fine necklace of valuable pearls. Now I’m wide awake!

I love pearls, real pearls, though I’ve never had any… but one day…that however was not where the Lord was going with that. I tried to do my regular Bible reading and study but could not; the pearls would not leave my mind. So I researched how pearls were referenced in scripture. They were considered one of the finest and most valuable jewels in Biblical days.  

In the beginning chapter 28 Job is describing the treasures found in the earth and how men seek them out…for example: iron is taken from the dust (:2); copper is smelted from rock (:2); rocks are a source for sapphires(:6); dust contains gold….BUT…where can wisdom be found? (:12) It’s as though Job is saying…pearls are the most valuable, sought after gem…but wisdom is even more precious.

Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

Matthew is using a variety of similes for the kingdom of heaven…a pearl is a perfect simile because a ‘fine pearl’ is a valuable treasure that needs no polishing or cutting by man. It comes to us complete and lustrous created by God through nature, as is the kingdom of heaven, which only God could create and perfect.

All that good stuff and more on pearls can be found in scripture but it just didn’t seem to be what I was suppose to ‘get’ out of the Lord showing it to me. I went back and thought about the timing of it all. I was lying in bed thanking the Lord for my blessings…ah, here it is. I had to smile when it hit me because only God…

A pearl is created inside a ‘wound’ of a pearl oyster. The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritate­s the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl.

We all have ‘wounds’ in our lives. As believers, we have the blood of Jesus Christ covering our wounds and sins, over and over again. When we hurt it is hard to imagine that anything of beauty and worth can come from it but given time, His timing, all our wounds are healed and covered by the blood and are used for His greater glory. People, most especially family, can wound us yet they are still blessings we are given. Over time those wounds make little pearls which become big pearls when we leave the process to the one created by our Creator.
 
I believe that string of pearls I saw during the ‘holy tap on the shoulder’ this morning was God showing me how my blessings, wounds and all, are still a thing of beauty and value I can wear proudly as I move forward in following Him.

Staying Strong

Philippians 4:13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!

Some days it is simply harder to get up in the morning and get moving like I need and want to do. This morning I feel like my blood has turned to sludge and is having a hard time coursing through my veins and fueling the muscles in my body. My clay vessel has cracks and weaknesses and I feel every one of them. Still - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Are you tired or troubled? Turn your heart toward God in prayer. Are you weak or worried? Take the time—or, more accurately, make the time—to delve deeply into God’s Holy Word. Are you spiritually depleted? Call upon fellow believers to support you, and call upon Christ to renew your spirit and your life. When you do, you’ll discover that the Creator of the universe stands always ready and always able to create a new sense of wonderment and joy in you. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

Endurance means taking that next step when you think you simply cannot because you know from where your help is coming. Endurance for a Christian is not a matter of mind over matter but trusting in the One who matters and knowing it is only because of Jesus that you can do anything at all. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! 

Wisdom in caring for ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally is important. God gave us our clay vessels and we need to care for them. Physical strength to do what we need to do is important, too. Knowing all of that comes from the One on High and placing our trust in Him, not on our puny, pathetic selves is the key.

Philippians 4:13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!

Growing Season

John 15:1-10 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.”

My backyard gardening has been downsized for the season. I wasn’t able to get my raised bed ready this past fall for spring planting so, to make the best of it, I decided to let it go fallow this season. Apparently the weeds didn’t get the memo; they are thriving in abundance where squash should be!

I could not just let this time go by without growing something so I settled on a patio tomato plant on the front deck. It is caged and tied up in a corner of the deck where it is protected from some of the 23 hours of daylight savings sun but nothing can protect it from the wind. Typically, my tomato bed has been in the back alongside the house where it had maximum wind protection. This year my lone plant is either going to make it or not against the wind. The Pro’s for the deck site are that I haven’t had any issues with insects (said in a whisper so they do not hear) and, surprisingly, none from birds. My deck is level with the tree tops nearby so the tomatoes are eye level for the birds. The Con’s…well, the wind. There isn’t any protection from it at all on the deck.

 
I said all that to say this, my little tomato plant looks pitiful. She has tomatoes and they are getting bigger everyday but the actual plant shows the wear and tear of life on the deck. I think we can take a lesson from that plant. I, too, often feel beat-up by the harsh winds of life and circumstance. We all go through our seasons of adversity and, like summer heat in Texas; some of those seasons seem to drag on forever! Yet, for every withered and broken branch, new growth is sprouting from the joint at the vine and good fruit is maturing. New tiny tomatoes can be found showing promise for the future. Life goes on in its determined desire for survival against the odds. That tomato is only doing what plants do; it is blooming where it is planted and bearing good fruit. 

That’s the lesson…we, too, can stand up to our circumstances, beaten though we may be, to grow and bear good fruit because and only because we are the branches, Jesus our Vine and God the Gardener. Happy Growing Season to us all.

It's Friday

It is Friday morning and all is well with my soul. The Lord blessed me with sleep. For the last while, I have been sleeping longer than usual - sometimes eight hours! For me this is not the norm and I wake up astounded and grateful. I am also sleeping through the night without waking up so many times with hurting joints. An answered prayer. I have been fever free for 24 hours now and the sore throat is about 60% better than yesterday morning. I haven’t been waking with sinus headaches as usual either.

I write this from the sanctuary of my bedroom where my faithful and loyal companions, Nikos and Pan Dulce lie sleeping on my comfortable bed. I am sitting in my office chair that allows me to rock when I want to, and I do often as I sit thinking and pondering. It soothes me. Pictures of my children and grandchildren hang on the wall across from my bed so I can see them as I pray for them. They make me smile and feel all warm inside.

This little room is full of reminders of the life God lead me through. Walking sticks from Africa and a rain stick from Costa Rica lean in a corner representing some of where I traveled in His name. Maps on the wall represent places I hope to travel to in His service. There are examples of simple day to day life blessings in here, too. I am drinking a cup of hot coffee I made earlier in the coffeemaker I keep in here to help ease me into mornings. A basket of clean clothes to cover me, a bookshelf of books to entertain and educate me, a fan to cool me and comforters to warm me. All of this and I haven’t even left the room!  

I’m sharing all this with you because it is Friday, the day I think about all God has done in my life this week. I often encourage you to do so, too. This is not saying all is perfect and rosy in my world, far from it - but it is choosing to count the blessings rather than focusing on all that “isn’t”. I was speaking to one of my brothers yesterday and we were catching up, sharing things in our world. He is currently unemployed, as am I, and yet the bulk of our time was spent talking about the good things going on. In our discussion of job hunting, in which neither of us is having any luck, he jokingly said, “It looks like we will be eating beans and rice a little longer.” I told him it was a good thing we liked beans and rice! We laughed. It is all about choice, People, it is all about how you choose to view the things the Lord carried you through. You can focus on how bad the storm or how strong the hands that hold you. I encourage you to take a few moments today just sitting in one place and consider all the blessings that surrounds you. It’s easy, try it, you’ll like it!

Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

You see, there is always a way to thank God, even in the worst of circumstances. Where there's a will, there's a way. Some days it might seem we have to look harder for the will but there is always a way.

I love our American Thanksgiving holiday. It is a time when even non-believers stop a little while to be thankful and appreciative. Traditions are important to me and this holiday is full of them. This year a lot of what I know as normal Thanksgiving tradition is not happening in my world; this year, however, will still find me grateful and giving thanks. Being thankful isn’t based on the food you eat, the company you keep or the day of the week. Being thankful comes from inside your heart and soul, not what you serve on the side.    

Let's experience a true happy thanks giving — let's will to thank God, and do it happily! As we draw near to Him with our thanks, He will draw near to us and bring victory!