Snowflake Bentley is a man from my hometown. He was fascinated with snow crystals. In 1885 at the age of 20 years old, Mr. Bentley became the first person to ever take a picture of a single snowflake. He went on to take thousands of photographs advancing the world’s knowledge of weather, meteorology, and snow crystals. He found that no two snowflakes are exactly alike and of course, neither are people.
What is it you like to create? Do you like to sculpt? Make music? Re-purpose thrift store finds? Do you like to dress really well? Do you enjoy painting, home decorating, or putting on makeup? Do you like to write or garden? Do you meticulously mow the lawn to create a design? However our creative juices flow, do you realize that those creative passions are because we are made in His image? We are made in the image of the ultimate of creative geniuses, our God.
What are some of the things you want? Do you want a new job? A spouse? Children? Do you want to drive on the Autobahn? Visit Hawaii? Do you want the house to clean itself or someone to cook for you? Do you want an addict to become unaddicted? Do you want healing for yourself or someone else? Do you want a position? Do you want to overcome a specific behavior? Do you want restoration in a relationship? Do you want to play the piano, learn German or be a better golfer?
We live in a broken world. We are a broken people. Every loss, disappointment, hurt, rejection leaves us more broken. Fear, insecurity, anxiety, worry, and repeated memories of our bad past experiences can keep us broken. Repetition of the same mistake over and over again may keep us broken. We may be broken people living in a broken world but we don’t have to live a life shattered in pieces. We have been given a special peace.
I drop the kids off at school, then I go for a quick walk rehearsing in my mind the items I need to get at the grocery store. I may have to go to two stores to get the best prices. After I get home and while the groceries are still in bags on the counter, I am thinking about meal prepping for the rest of the week. Wait, is that my phone? Why is she calling, she usually just texts me?
If I asked you to take a rubber band and put it over your right and left pointer fingers then
I love a parade. I love to watch a parade in all its glorious, colorful, noisy pageantry and I love to be in parades. I love to walk, wave, smile, greet, support, and pass out candy, bracelets, or other trinkets. I have been in kiddie parades, pet parades, holiday parades, and a waving, smiling, clapping spectator in so many more. My heart is always deeply touched and I am often moved to tears when I stand and applaud the veterans honored in a parade or the military flyovers. Sometimes, my eyes get watery as I watch children forming lifetime memories for their experiences in the joyful festivities.
The paralyzed man couldn’t get to Jesus by himself. His friends needed to carry him to Jesus. Overwhelming grief, tragic news, crippling diagnoses can leave our friends paralyzed, as well. The shock, the numbness, the pain of their circumstance prevents them from uttering prayers but He intercedes (Romans 8:26.) Tears and groaning are languages He understands. We can carry our friends to the Lord as well, not on a mat but in our prayers. We read of Jesus healing and forgiving the paralyzed man because of ‘their faith,’ the faith of his friends.
