The wrong side...

We had a meeting in Germany last week and decided to take a vacation while we were there. We made our way to Holland to visit the former home of my hero, Corrie Ten Boom. Her book "The Hiding Place" changed my life and understanding of sorrow. After losing our fifth pregnancy, a friend gave me the opportunity to read this book and read about this amazing woman who ended up in a concentration camp for hiding Jews. The thing I always remember from the book is: When Corrie was an old lady sitting in her chair, a woman asked her about life's sorrows and how sorrow could truly turn around and be something beautiful. Corrie sat in a chair and while cross stitching lifted the under side of what she was working on and said "Does this look beautiful to you?" The woman replied "Well not that side. I'm sure it's beautiful on the other side but this side doesn't show the complete picture, just threading." Corrie laid it back in her lap and said "So is the same with life sorrow, you are looking at it from the wrong side. One day we will stand next to Jesus and see the beauty of the picture. Right now you just see the threading." I take that example of her's with me always, treasured in my heart, always reminding myself that I am looking at the picture from the wrong side and one day I will be so blessed to know I was one of those threads that helped make that beautiful picture. Right now in my sweet country of Bulgaria, there are alot of threads. There are scared and hurting people. There is anger and there are angry words. There are alot of threads but I know that My Jesus is able to redeem all things for His glory. May the prayer for Bulgaria be that we can find ways to be part of the picture of beauty that is being weaved together for His glory! Our personal prayer is that we can one day look at the picture from Heaven's side and say that little insignificant piece of string right there is me =) God is an artist, a mighty creator but no one ever stands back and admires the paint jars or the unused threads, but rather the masterpiece! We can make a choice today to be left on the shelf, unused for His glory or be part of the picture. We serve a God that is so awesome to let us be a part of His work!
Please pray for our country and for our family as we work beside the Roma, equipping this people group to desire and train others to be part of the picture for God's glory.
"May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations." Psalm 67:1-2
And you may be reading this from the other side of the world but I BEG you, do not under estimate the power of prayer! You can be a mighty part of ministry taking place all over Bulgaria by praying for the Christians here who are constantly showing others the love of Christ. Be part of the picture!