My grandson, Jackson, loves jellybeans. He will tell you “I like beans!” He will do what his mama says if she persuades him with jellybeans. He is such a delightful, fun-filled package of energy! I love to watch him play and run around, but when you are outside or in a store you need to have some control over that extremely fast, little energetic boy and jellybeans provide an incentive to get him in line! What I’ve noticed though is he will eat the first few, but after a bit he will eat the flavored sugary outside and spit out the gummy mess that’s left inside. He does that with fruit snacks too; he will get the flavor out of them and then spit out the gooey mess! I remember doing the same thing when I was a kid. I didn’t like jelly beans or anything that was gooey and gummy like them. It was a texture thing!!
I’m sure you are wondering where I am going with this. Am I just telling you about my wonderful grandchildren? Because I have 6 of the most delightful amazing grandchildren ever – 3 of each - 3 girls and now 3 boys! While that is wonderful and fun, that’s not really what I was thinking on. I was reminded how sometimes we, or myself, as Christians just like the sugar coating of the Gospel. You know we take the verses we like that give us that flavored sugary feel good taste good feeling but then we want to spit out the gooey mess or the hard to swallow instructions. I am reminded of Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” We are the vessels which God uses; I know I am weak and sometimes my outer shell or clay is flawed and warped (okay 99.9% of the time). This is like an inside out jelly bean, the flavor is inside. The treasure within is worth chewing through the gooey mess.
I love the thought that I am a vessel; that God would choose to use something as flawed and broken as I am. I spend a lot of time wondering how God can use someone like me who struggles with all my physical disabilities. I sure can’t go on a mission trip or to a mission field, BUT I can write. Maybe that’s the reason God keeps putting these thoughts in my head and on my heart? While I am contemplating the fact that I am a vessel another favorite passage from 2 Timothy comes to mind:
20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Wow! Double wow! I want to be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful and prepared for God’s use! This passage pushes away the doubts and fears and feelings of my own worthlessness. God has a plan for me and I am still a useful vessel. He can repair the flaws or put a patch on them. Whatever he chooses, I choose to serve Him to the best of my ability.
And I‘m sure I can find an empty vessel to fill with jelly beans for Jackson & Nana!
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