Bowls, Sisters, and Jesus Disciples

When my mother died last year, my sisters and I found it was a bittersweet time of learning who she was. You see, she wouldn’t let us get close to her ~ her real self I mean. My sisters and I spent years trying to “figure out mom”. We each wanted to know her, and sometimes she would let us, but then she seemed to smash on purpose the little tidbits of trust and friendliness we had built with her. When we had to settle her estate, we each found different things that we thought were important to each of us to keep. I picked up a particular bowl that was way back in her bottom cupboard. I remembered the small town nearby where we lived when I was a little girl, and mom standing in the little kitchen making pudding in that particular bowl. When I mentioned to my sisters I would like to have it, they each gave their approval. I was surprised at it's value as the appraiser told us it's worth. I thought the worth was overrated, but not the memories it held. The smallest of a set of three, I privately mourned for the two that were not with it, then chided myself for my fleeting selfish thoughts of collecting "stuff". They were, of course, from a set of plates, cups, saucers, coffee and tea pots, etc. Oh well.
I kept it on the top of my upright piano with a favorite delicate tea set this past year. Every time I went through the dining room, it caught my eye, and I would relish again the times mom was a person who was dear in my heart ~ before the hard knocks of life got to her and rubbed off on us in ways that God used to positively nurture and mature each of her girls.

My sister recently returned from a trip to Kentucky, where she had been antiquing and found one of the other bowls. It was nice of her, I thought, to call me and tell me she wanted to bring me a matching bowl today. I tried not to get too excited as I unwrapped the bowl, until I turned it over and saw the same engraving as my other bowl, and that this one had a number! It doesn’t take too long to discover as while becoming a “stuff” collector to know that a number on the bottom could give a whole different meaning to “stuff”! The stamping was the same as the small one I treasured. How neat, I now had the small bowl and the larger bowl. The middle bowl that nested between the two would be hard to find, I thought, even as I experienced happiness in the find, and now doubly blessed by being in possession of another.

Then, my sister said, “Well that’s the one you owe me for, but here is your Birthday gift!” She handed me a double paper wrapped object that felt a little heavy…and it was the middle bowl! Wow! What a treat! An unexpected desire of my heart had been graciously given me by my Sovereign, All Gracious God~ who knows the desires of my heart~ through the thoughtfulness of a very loving and sensitive sister. She had carried that bowl around with her through several states as she vacationed through the south this summer. I saw a love flow from her about her find and her excitement about giving the bowls to me that was laced with generations of familial ties (and her desire to collect the set to the pieces we found in mom’s cupboard). She meant to bring me nothing but pure companionship and expressions of kinship. I couldn’t get it off my mind.

Her sensitivity made me think about the way the disciples in Luke 24:32 must have felt when they were talking with Jesus after his resurrection, not sure to whom they were talking. Jesus love for his disciples expressed itself to them by blessing them with himself, reminding them of all the scriptures concerning himself. They thought they were having a vibrant conversation with a learned man, and at just the right time, Jesus revealed himself to them!

As Jesus opened their eyes to who He was, their amazement confounded them, yet they must have been so grateful to have been in Jesus presence. They had begun to mourn him, and had been feeling such loss of their very dear friend. They loved him, spent quality time with him, observing his relationships with people of different backgrounds and upbringing. As they remembered the horrible treatment he received by the townsmen, the crucifixion on the cross, his burial, and then the distress of not comprehending the stories of his resurrection from Mary Magdalene, they must have felt exceeding great joy as well as wonder as to what had just happened with them. I believe they experienced emotions of sheer joy, love and sweetness and an acute awareness of being in the center of a momentous occasion in history.
God’s plan for Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection, and soon ascension were in progress! God wasn’t obligated to shower these men with any more love and assurance of His Amazing Grace. Yet he chose to demonstrate His pure tenderness and devotion to reassure these men He has everything under control and understood the experience of the pain they had felt over the last few days. Wouldn’t you have loved to be there to video and record that special bond Jesus had with these men in those few reverent moments?

Those special moments are ours every day when we have fellowship with Jesus through His Word, and share what we have with those who love him as well. We can embrace the opportunities to see God displaying such love and care over us as we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit to kindly meet the needs~and sometimes go beyond needs to wants~ of our husband, children, friends, speak with strangers, coworkers, clients.

Does your heart desire to Gently Radiate A Christ-like Example by blessing others with acts of kindness, thoughtfulness and sensitivity to their needs? Let’s be true followers of Jesus Christ and be open to situations where we can follow in the steps of a sister who showed how to be sensitive to the need of another.

Share with me as Jesus shared with the disciples where the Holy Spirit leads you!

God's Grace to You!

Hi There! Welcome to Bev's blog where I look forward to visiting with you! I want to open a dialogue with you that we will find inspirational in our relationship with Jesus Christ as well as encouraging us to be zealously motivated to enjoy our relationships with others through the teachings of Jesus in the Bible.
You will find I will be writing a host of topics about how God's Grace is so Alive and Actively Evident in my life daily, and I hope you will share your stories with me, and we can rejoice about Him together! Let me tell you a little about that Grace...
I see God's Grace in everything. I see him at work letting me live with my godly grandmother while my mom worked in Louisville, KY fives days a week. My mammaw taught me between the ages of 1-5 about as much about Jesus that a small child could learn. Little Golden Books that had songs like "Jesus Loves Me", "The B-I-B-L-E", "Jesus Loves the Little Children" were my favorite. These were the first songs I remember singing, as well as other well known hymns in the Baptist Church she attended. She taught me while we were dressing for church and in the car on our way to church how I should behave while we were in the service. I listened attentively, because I couldn't wait to show the pastor my new slip under my new dress when he would greet us after church! Mammaw taught me to listen to the words the pastor was teaching, how to read from the Bible, how to follow the words in the hymn book. I would sit beside her wanting to please her, and respected her wishes as much as I possibly could despite my controlled fidgetiness. Grace was in action when I wasn't punished for swinging my feet back and forth, moving around "too much", having to go to the bathroom while the pastor was preaching :) ! She just continued to quietly and lovingly teach me how to behave in the congreation, basic teaching that carried me through many boring speakers throughout my life, but to which I still have a deep respect for the position they command to an audience.
My mammaw gave me lots of Grace as I learned how to behave with children as well as adults. Her instruction was to be the foundation for many relationships - some challenging, some naturally friendly, some regretable. Through the years, I kept her teachiing close to my heart, because she was a wise woman who knew about hurt and pain, suffering, and loving God and loving people. I was drawn to people like her, and as I grew, and was moved around the Country, across the Atlantic Ocean, and back home to my beloved United States of America, I was always looking for people like her to know, glean their wisdom, learn, and model their faith in Jesus Christ. It is an interesting journey, applying practically the Words of Scripture. It is a Gracious journey by a Gracious God who planned my steps before the world began. Applying my faith to my marriage, raising children, and now grandchildren, continues to keep me looking at His Grace. It has been woven into my life many ages past, and I am sure my ancestors prayed for me as I pray for our family generations that will follow me, if the Lord tarries. My heritage, my upbringing, my blessed opportunities and painful situations in life are replete with many instances of His Grace. I am a grateful woman as He lets me see Him at work each day. But enough about me! How about you? Share with me your Grace story, won't you?