Beauty For Your Trouble
Written by sistere
Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 11:30 AM.
Praise the name of Jesus:
Here is something on my heart to share that I shared with our church...
I happened upon this article about oysters and how they make pearls. And it said that when an oyster is irritated, something gets under the skin, usually sand or small particles that are floating around in the water, and in order for the oyster to protect itself from the irritation, it begins to cover the intruder with its substance, and the constant rubbing in its covering the irritation, forms the pearl. And we know what a pearl is... it's a gem. An iridescent gem, priceless and pure. So the oyster takes something that irritates them and makes something beautiful out of it. Extraordinaire. And as I read this, God said, "so it is with Me."
God can take our irritations, and make something beautiful out of it. He can take those things that intrude our shell, our covering, those things that get under our skin, and turn them into a pearl. A priceless gem.
The Bible says that God will turn our mourning into dancing. He will give us beauty for ashes, strength for tears, peace for despair.
God will take the very thing that bothers us, the very thing that irritates us and turn that thing around for our good. If we commit those things to Him, (as our Substance), He'll work something out from the inside of us and will cause those things to be rubbed the right way.
Our impatience with people, He'll turn into love and forbearance. Our bitterness at being passed up for a promotion, He'll turn into joy at a new and better job offer. Our discontentment of who we are, He'll turn into rest in Who He is.
He'll even take our Wednesday nights at the bar, and turn it into Bible Study and fellowship with the saints of God. Sunday mornings at the market and turn it into Sunday morning worship.
The things that people say that hurt our feelings or #!!@ at our skin, God will use to propel us to get better... to be kind, to go on that diet, to stop drinking... to get saved.
I have a song that I listen to every now and then by Maurette Brown Clark and she says, God made something out of nothing, when He made me. And that's just what He does. Those little things are nothing to God. And He will take that nothing and turn it into something and make you better!
So I encourage you, whatever irritants you have in life today, give them over to God, and let Him give you some beauty for your troubles.
God is real!
Be blessed continually!
A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E
http://sis.e.home.comcast.net
http://www.ongoodground.org
