Hello all, Some of you may remember me as I was once a regular on several of the finds forums. I have spent the last couple of years devoting most of my available time in spreading the word to the best of my ability of our Lord and savior and soon coming king Jesus Christ. In that time ....Praise God! I have seen my entire family give there hearts and lives to Jesus. I have been given a ministry of Christian writing - poems, stories, and songs that Glorify our Lord and Savior. I have been given a gift that took me a while to understand but I give all the credit and glory to my Lord Jesus Christ. Without him I am nothing...It has been my humble honor to sow seeds of salvation and see many give there lives to the Lord. This morning my only daughter sent me the following.....her first attempt at writing for Jesus and it truly blessed me. I hope it does the same for you.
We have been blessed with an abundance of blackberries this summer. Over the past couple of weeks every other evening or so, I get my empty plastic bag and head over to the side of our yard behind the shed where the blackberry vines thrive, usually followed by the dogs, at least one or two cats, and many times a child or two. So far I’ve picked several quarts of blackberries, but I have also found something else in that tangled mass of thorns and vines, God is in those vines.
With the sun beating down, the mosquitoes biting, sweat dripping and more often than not, a few drops of blood spilling as I get tangled up in the briers, God has shown me a lot about this world. As I reach through the briers, knowing I will shed blood to get to the berries ripe for picking, I am reminded of the blood Jesus shed for us. Searching for ripe berries I notice there are some berries that have been on the vine too long, out in the world too long, they have died on the vine, dried up and withered away, their life wasted. There are other berries that are small, still bright red, not yet ready to be chosen, they still have some time needed in the hot sun to mature before they will be ready to be taken, there are still others that are tiny, white, just starting out on the vine, they may or may not make it to be mature, ripe berries. And then there are the berries I’m looking for, dark in color, full of flavor, and just right to be added to my collection. As I reach through and pick those berries I think about how God chooses us. I would like to be able to get all the berries, so none go to waste, but some get so tangled up in the thorns and briers, that even though I’m reaching for them, I just can’t quite get to them, then will wither up on the vine. Some people get so tangled up in the things of this world, that even though God is always reaching for them, even shedding blood for them, they still never make it. The world gets them. They eventually withered up and die. Yet still every time I’m out there, I reach for those berries, even though I know I will shed blood in the thorns, I’m still so happy when I can get a hand full that seemed just out of reach. God is constantly reaching for us, even when we are so tangled up in the thorns and briers we seem out of reach. There He is, blood stained hand outstretched, reaching for us.
After I get all the berries I can reach, I bring my bag in and dump them out on the counter, the berries are never perfect, some have scars and blemishes from being out on the vine, out in the world, there are tiny bugs, bits of leaves and dirt that need to be removed before I can us the berries for the purpose they are intended. I don’t throw away the berries that aren’t perfect, I remove the impurities and make them clean. This is what God does for us, he takes us as we are, blemishes and dirt and all, He cleanses us and uses us for a greater purpose than we could ever achieve on our own. He doesn’t ever let anyone that is willing to be reached wither and die on the vine.
So tomorrow, I will be back out in the blackberries, reaching for the ones that weren’t ready yesterday, but may be today. Hoping not to waste any, hoping to get every last one. Sadly, some will not be reached, some will not be ready, some will be so tangled up they will wither and die. But some will be just right for picking, and I will add those to the ones I already have and make something wonderful with them.
We have been blessed with an abundance of blackberries this summer. Over the past couple of weeks every other evening or so, I get my empty plastic bag and head over to the side of our yard behind the shed where the blackberry vines thrive, usually followed by the dogs, at least one or two cats, and many times a child or two. So far I’ve picked several quarts of blackberries, but I have also found something else in that tangled mass of thorns and vines, God is in those vines.
With the sun beating down, the mosquitoes biting, sweat dripping and more often than not, a few drops of blood spilling as I get tangled up in the briers, God has shown me a lot about this world. As I reach through the briers, knowing I will shed blood to get to the berries ripe for picking, I am reminded of the blood Jesus shed for us. Searching for ripe berries I notice there are some berries that have been on the vine too long, out in the world too long, they have died on the vine, dried up and withered away, their life wasted. There are other berries that are small, still bright red, not yet ready to be chosen, they still have some time needed in the hot sun to mature before they will be ready to be taken, there are still others that are tiny, white, just starting out on the vine, they may or may not make it to be mature, ripe berries. And then there are the berries I’m looking for, dark in color, full of flavor, and just right to be added to my collection. As I reach through and pick those berries I think about how God chooses us. I would like to be able to get all the berries, so none go to waste, but some get so tangled up in the thorns and briers, that even though I’m reaching for them, I just can’t quite get to them, then will wither up on the vine. Some people get so tangled up in the things of this world, that even though God is always reaching for them, even shedding blood for them, they still never make it. The world gets them. They eventually withered up and die. Yet still every time I’m out there, I reach for those berries, even though I know I will shed blood in the thorns, I’m still so happy when I can get a hand full that seemed just out of reach. God is constantly reaching for us, even when we are so tangled up in the thorns and briers we seem out of reach. There He is, blood stained hand outstretched, reaching for us.
After I get all the berries I can reach, I bring my bag in and dump them out on the counter, the berries are never perfect, some have scars and blemishes from being out on the vine, out in the world, there are tiny bugs, bits of leaves and dirt that need to be removed before I can us the berries for the purpose they are intended. I don’t throw away the berries that aren’t perfect, I remove the impurities and make them clean. This is what God does for us, he takes us as we are, blemishes and dirt and all, He cleanses us and uses us for a greater purpose than we could ever achieve on our own. He doesn’t ever let anyone that is willing to be reached wither and die on the vine.
So tomorrow, I will be back out in the blackberries, reaching for the ones that weren’t ready yesterday, but may be today. Hoping not to waste any, hoping to get every last one. Sadly, some will not be reached, some will not be ready, some will be so tangled up they will wither and die. But some will be just right for picking, and I will add those to the ones I already have and make something wonderful with them.
