From Mom-Mom

On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 9:10 AM, Mary Nelle wrote:

Thank you, Julie. for the teacup parable. Simple but profound. It started me thinking about the way God has taught me different things over the years as he was molding and shaping, and polishing. (Still is, actually!)

1. How at 18 our lovely, self-satisfied, safe, comfortable family was shattered when my brother died in WW 2 in June, and the following November, my Dad. I remember how I clung to the Psalms, and verses like, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." (His accident was stepping back on a loose board.) I was finding out the miraculous, living, power of the Scripture.

2. Learning to get along with a husband who was so totally different from me. Having to learn I couldn't have it my way all the time, and to try to live to make another person happy, not me, me, me.

3. Shelleys's birth with an abnormal hand, and finding out God could be wonderfully sufficient for her, and in the process bless us all.

4. Christopher's diagnosis of autism, and then Jeanne's breast cancer. Oh my, God was doing so much shaping and molding in so many ways, (too many lessons to list), but finding God make His presence so real and so loving you could almost touch Him--how could your faith and confidence in Him not grow?

5. Shelleys' divorce----again so much pain, but so amazing how God once again was sufficient, and powerful to work it out for good in so many ways, with a minimum of "scars" --- "beauty for ashes" instead. Makes us pray hard for Mary--we know what God can do!

6. Then the more recent "shaping and molding"--Ward's illness and then my coping alone --- Oh my, the faithfulness of God is overwhelming-- defies finding the language for it all, as David says, "Some things are too lofty for me" ---"How wonderful are your thoughts and your ways past finding out"..

Jeanne's RA diagnosis, Of course, mine and Shelley's big C in one year---

It is hard to analyze just what God was doing in each of these cases, and how he is still working on that teacup-- but it was good to anticipate that He is making something beautiful out of that pitiful lump of clay, as only He can. I surely can't, no matter how hard I may try.

Love, MOM

I'm a Little Tea cup

I'm a Little Tea Cup

Love this story or not, you will not be able to have tea in a tea cup again without thinking of this.

There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups.

Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me, pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone," but he only smiled, and gently said, "Not yet."

Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was made to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. "Help! Get me out of here!" I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, "Not yet."

When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! "Ah, this is much better," I thought.

But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Oh, please, stop it, stop, I cried." He only shook his head and said, "Not yet."

Then suddenly he puts me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering, "What's he going to do to me next?"

An hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at yourself." And I did. I said, "That's not me. That couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!"

Quietly he spoke: "I want you to remember. I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind
when I first began with you."

The moral of this story is this: God knows what He's doing for each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect.

So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to "stink", try this.

Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down and think on this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter.

God Bless You!

Isaiah 54

For some reason I'm feeling open right now, and maybe this is hasty, I thought I would share something. I really don't like when the Bible is taken out of context, so I'm hoping I'm not doing this in this instance; so tell me if you think I'm wrong here.

I don't know if many of you follow my and Dave's blog, but we were recently told (after trying unsuccessfully to conceive and after some tests) that it will be unlikely that we will be able to have a child without fertility treatments. We have been quite shaken up about this and have been praying for a miracle as we're quite nervous about the "rabbit hole" of fertility treatments. (If you'd like more specific information we're open to sharing and/or we can send you an invitation to our blog.)

Anyway, the invitation here was to share what God is doing in/sharing with us. So needless to say, I have been quite discouraged (and lots of other emotions) lately. But, on Thursday, I was doing my regular Bible Study and had to look up Isaiah 54:11. It was a good verse, but I decided I wanted to get the context, so I decided to read all of Isaiah 54. And this is what I found:

Isaiah 54

¹ “Sing, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,”
says the LORD.
² “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
³ For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.

⁴ “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
⁵ For your Maker is your husband—
the LORD Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
⁶ The LORD will call you back
as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
only to be rejected,” says your God.
⁷ “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
⁸ In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD your Redeemer.

⁹ “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.
¹⁰ Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

¹¹ “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with lapis lazuli.
¹² I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be their peace.
¹⁴ In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
¹⁵ If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

¹⁶ “See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;
¹⁷ no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the LORD.

Anyway, I obviously burst into tears when I read this. And when I shared it with Dave the next morning he was really moved and cried too. We know this was written for Israel, so I don't want to claim something that "isn't ours", and we don't know what this means for us exactly, but it was such an encouragement to us nonetheless. I know that you all are a praying bunch, so prayers for a miracle and also for wisdom would mean the world to us.

My journaling from devotions on fear this morning (sorry I'm not taking the time to edit it properly) - maybe it will help others struggling with fears.

I read some great verses about fear this morning and wrote them out so I could remember them... I'll share them with you.

I was reading from the Face to Face devotional book.

Ro. 10:11 "Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame."

in the Amplified: "The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him (who adhers to, relies on, or trusts in Him) will ever be put to shame or disappointed."

I thought: the key is that we are adhering to, relying on, and trusting in Him, totally - and not trusting in the things of the world - or the things of man - beauty, brains, riches, approval... We have to denounce those things. Yesterday I went thru the helpful technique of saying out loud when attacked by fear (approval of men) "I choose you, Jesus, over these things. (even tho I didn't feel it in my heart yet. I went ahead and said it and then God began to free me from those old fears and that old bondage) You are my rock and my salvation. You are all I need. Those things I feel I cannot survive without will not save me. It's a lie from the pit!"

1 Chron. 28:20

"Fear not, be not dismayed, for the Lord my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord."

May I act in the fear of you, Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart. taken from 2 Chron. 19:9 (loyal: not putting other cares and worries first, caring what men might think - that is disloyal to our love for God)

from Mark 8:33 (pg. 56) sometimes these are not direct quotes so I looked up the passages -

May I be more concerned about the things of God than the things of men. The actual verse said:

"Get behind me Satan! For you do not have a mind intent on promoting what God wills but what pleases men (you are not on God's side but that of men)." (Amplified)

The above Mark passage reminds me that when I put those worldly cares above wanting what God wants I am actually not on His side anymore, I am fighting against Him - reminds me of the verse about how we can't serve 2 Gods at the same time.

Luke 12: 28-31 (Amp) "But if God so clothes the grass in the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And you, do not seek (by meditating and reasoning to inquire into) what you are to eat and what you are to drink; nor be of anxious (troubled) mind (unsettled, excited, worried, and in suspense); for all the pagan world is (greedily) seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Only aim at and strive for and seek His kingdom, and all these things shall be supplied to you also. Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom! Sell what you possess and give donations to the poor; provide yourselves with purses and handbags that do not grow old, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Keep your lamps burning and your loins girded!"

Here are some promises that were listed (when I renounce the cares of this world and put Him first in my heart and affections):

To fear You (above all), Lord, that is wisdom,

And to depart from evil is understanding. (Job 28:28) (It is "evil" when I put the cares of the world above trusting what He says and believing He is enough for me)

Who are those that fear You? You will instruct them in the way they should choose. Ps. 25:12

Blessed is everyone who fears You, Lord,

and walks in Your ways. (I won't walk in His ways unless I put Him first above other all my other fears, renounce them!)

You take pleasure in those who fear You, O Lord,

Who put their hope in Your unfailing love. Ps. 147:11

Jesus promises, "I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you...whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you... ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (Jn 16: 24)

No one can take this joy from me and that frees me from fear!! Hallelujah!