Puzzled About the Body

I Corinthians 12:14-20

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Last winter I put together a jigsaw puzzle. The scene featured a harbor town with a lighthouse and a boardwalk along the water. Several of the pieces looked similar and I placed some of them in the wrong spot, making a mess of the scene. When I twisted and turned each piece until they fit together, I created a complete and pleasant picture.

Like the puzzle, God intends for us to fit together as his body, the church. The Lord made each of us different on purpose, because we all serve a different purpose. But as Paul teaches the church at Corinth, even though we are different from each other, we can still work as one body loving God and loving people. Paul said, “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” He has a plan and we as a body can make it happen.

Rain Down

Psalm 72:6
He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.

When I step on the grass in my yard I hear a crunching sound, as if I stepped on dried up leaves. With little to no rain in the last month, the grass turned brown and the only things still growing are a few scraggly weeds. One of the neighbors tried to mow and they looked like Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoon with a whirlwind of dust surrounding them.

Sometimes my spirit feels like the dried up grass; fragile, drooped over and ugly. Then my heart longs for the rain that only God can pour over me, a refreshing rain that revives my soul. Through his word and his people, his love pours over me. Praise God for his refreshing showers.

To Seek Wisdom

James 3:17
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

I attended my first MOPS (Mothers of preschoolers) meeting this week. My daughter, Maggie, invited me to be the “Mentor Mom”. That is a seasoned, experienced older mom who survived and thrived while raising children (that’s my definition). I asked the group leader what the Mentor Mom should do at the meetings and she told me that the young moms appreciate hearing the wisdom gleaned from years of experience.

Wow, God wanted me to pass wisdom along to these young ladies as they grew their children. I have to say this was a bit daunting. I prayed for God to show me what I needed to share. As always, God directed me to the scripture. As I read James 3:17, I fell in love with what it said. To seek wisdom and know that it is from God, measure it against this; “is the wisdom pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” What a gift to know God’s checklist for wisdom. Anytime I make a decision I can look at this and decide if the wisdom is God-given or Penny-given. Praise God for his wisdom!

Pure Joy

James 1:2-3

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

I love to play with my grandchildren. Last night, Eli sat on the floor in front of his Momma and I sat across from them and we rolled a ball that fit his tiny hand-grasp back and forth. Eli loved “catching” the ball. He waved his hands in excitement and aimed at the ball and grabbed it with his little dimpled hand. Then he laughed. From his belly he giggled and it spilled out into the room. He poured out his pure, untarnished joy on me. I’ve heard all of my grandchildren laugh without inhibition, and with a clear purity that God loves.

That is the joy that I desire for myself, that pure joy that only comes from God. Even when I experience trials, anxiety, depression, self-doubt, hurt from others, I can be filled with God’s pure joy. I want it to gurgle up and spill out, so that others may see God in my life. Praise God for his joy!