New Rules for Treasure Hunting... and a revelation, too.

Sometimes important lessons (or gentle reminders) come from the most interesting places.

Case in point:  this lovely jar.

Can you see the texture or pattern in the glass?  Look at the area between the words "porcelain" and "lined."

Or take a peak through the inside.  See that wavy pattern that I've indicated with the arrow?  Well, this jar had me at "hello" because of that texture or pattern.  As I mentioned yesterday, I like to find jars that are unique in some way, and this one was different than any that I had seen.

Sometimes when I shop (and this can be for anything), I get so excited about one feature that I forget to check to see about other features.  Here's a perfect example, and a lesson learned.

See this lid?  It hides an ugly secret.

I actually found this jar in Carlisle, Pennsylvania while visiting my sister-in-law and her family.  She took me to a great antique mall in a very "antique" building with wonderfully creaky floors.  I passed up other blue jars for this one, and I was proud to show if off to my hubby when we returned home.  As I showed it to him, I removed the lid and...

 There was this:

I don't even know what to say.  I was stunned.  For a split second I was mad that I had "fallen" for something. And then I thought, "Well it's my own fault!  I never removed the lid to check the condition!"  Truthfully, I never even thought of doing that before.  (I know: DUH!)  Ultimately, I decided that I loved the jar anyways, and I would fill it with something just for decoration... or that I didn't need to access often -- so that I wouldn't damage that rim any further.  Lesson learned.  In the future, remove the lid to check that the jar is really in good condition.

But then this morning, when I was taking pictures of this jar for you, I kind of had a revelation -- and I felt like God wanted me to share something more than just rules for treasure hunting.

I was thinking about how layers of our heart carefully removed often reveal ugly secrets or... sin.  And how God loves us anyways.  Just as this jar was "my find" and I decided to love it anyway, so we are God's creation, and he loves us no matter how "damaged" we are.  No matter what the peeled back layers may reveal.  No matter what baggage we carry.  No matter how ugly our past.  No matter how poorly we behaved "in return" for someone else's bad behavior, or how damaged some of our relationships may be. 

No matter.  No matter.  No matter.

Jesus' blood covers it all.

I pray that you would trust him today with your brokenness.

Romans 5:8

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners,

Christ died for us."