Gifts given…
One of the wonderful side benefits of going to some conferences is gifts…this last conference was no exception…
A fruit basket to begin with, a local snack assortment in a handmade gift bag, a book by one of the speakers, a beautiful hand woven tray and a stone bowl…each representing an aspect of the conference…
The stone bowl was made from lapis lazuli, a hard blue stone…mined in various parts of the world…this bowl instead of being made from one big stone, was carved out of a multitude of stones glued or laminated together to make a whole…also included was a natural piece of the stone…an in-the-rough specimen…
To me each gift given spoke…
The beginning fruit basket-harvest and new insights gained from the various events at the conference…all of the speakers, the musicians, and even the meals made up a basket of goodness for the mind, soul and body…
The snack bag-tidbits to munch on, glean from each event…meditate, think about…pray about…gain energy from…while refreshing the mind and spirit…and body…
The book-read the wonderful testimony of a supporter, a flyer…through her life and career…
The tray-for me personally this gift was a replacement…I had a larger version of this tray, brought from the same country by missionaries long ago…after my husband passed away, I downsized and gave it away. This new tray, a smaller one fits more into my current life. It was a reminder that life goes one, differently…and God still provides…missionaries still are going and working in that country …bringing the Gospel…
Lastly, the bowl-the beauty, the hardness, the creativity, the skills to make…remind me of the difficult places this stone is mined…Angola, Argentina, Chile, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Afghanistan plus some in Canada and the United States…all nations needing the gospel…but, hard places to share for a variety of reasons…plus, this stone was included on the High Priest’s Breastplate, part of his vestments in serving in the Tabernacle …Ezekiel speaks of this stone as well..
Thank YOU…
Gifts from God…
“Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Exod.28.15-21
noun
- 1.a bright blue metamorphic rock consisting largely of lazurite, used for decoration and in jewelry.
No comments:
Post a Comment