Scripture for Today:  II Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.”

These old fashioned wooden cookie presses are beautiful.  I see quite a few of them in the tourists shops, but I am more interested in the older ones in antique stores.  The images are so imaginative and are very detailed.  The resulting cookie is almost a work of art and a shame to eat!

My own experience with these molds has been frustrating!  I tend to not press the dough hard enough into the mold for fear of it sticking.  But that pressure is needed to set the image.  If the dough gets stuck, then a sharp tap on the back of the mold will release it.

Our verse for today describes a different kind of pressure.  We are hard pressed on every side by different trials and problems.  The difficult times are often perplexing because we just do not understand what God is doing. But we do not despair.  No matter how hard life can get, when we belong to the Lord we are never destroyed or abandoned.  He is in control and is revealing Himself through all that is happening (verse 10).

All the frustration, all the grief, and all the suffering are intended to form the beautiful image of Jesus in me.  Nothing is random.  Our God is not capricious or fickle.  He is loving and faithful.  He is just and true.  Even though I do not understand what He may be doing in my life, I can always count on who He is.  One day, when I see the finished product, I will understand.

Thank you Lord, that I can trust You even when I do not understand.

Look familiar?  This is a summer re-post due to ministry schedule.

Scripture for Today: II Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

This beautiful tapestry called, “Promenade,” hangs on the wall of the Cluny Museum in Paris.   Pictured here is just a small part of a larger scene and the detail is incredible.  It was made in the fifteenth century and is from a series of six.  It is hard to imagine all the long hours it took to painstakingly place each stitch by hand on the loom.  I am drawn most to those tapestries with dark backgrounds.  The dark blue seems to emphasize the people in the scene, making them more visible.

Our verse for today tells us to “see” what can not be seen.  What is normally seen by our physical eyes is only temporary.  Paul encourages those going through difficult times to look to the unseen, to look towards what is eternal.  The images and beauty of a tapestry are not seen from underneath.  Seen from the under side, nothing makes much sense.  We do not see how the dark colors are adding to the scene.  We do not see what God is doing or how everything will be working out.  But He promises to be working in us the very beautiful image of His Son.

Sometimes the Lord is using beautiful silk thread.  On rare occasions He may even use gold or silver thread.  But sometimes the threads are dark and coarse.  I may never understand why God allows excruciating pain or what looks like senseless tragedy.  But then my view is incomplete.  He is seeing the images emerge on my “tapestry” and it will be beautiful one day!

Thank you Lord, that I can trust Your unseen eternal work in me.

Look familiar?  This is a summer re-post due to ministry schedule.