 This little guy, for me, is a fitting metaphor for the times we are in the midst of. His title is, “Unemployed”. He is and has been patiently and obediently waiting for the time when he can once again be put back to work. Only, when that time comes, the return will be with more enthusiasm?, energy?, excitement?, or even a whole new job and usefulness altogether?. We shall see what is to be. Soon.
“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. …” Jeremiah 18:1-6 Daily Glory Glimpses Blog janefnewman.com
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 Welcome Easter!
"And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." Luke 24:2-3 Daily Glory Glimpses janefnewman.com  These days of “lock down” during the COVID19 pandemic seem like someone has “locked the door and thrown away the key”! Days and weeks going by for what “seems an eternity” with no official end in sight. And that predicament is reality at this time in our world, but it is not Truth for True Eternity.
Today is Good Friday. And because of what we remember happening on this day over 2000 years ago, we are not locked out! Christ Jesus, the Son in the Holy Trinity, was crucified in our place. The Door opened Eternity. The Gate is unlocked. His sacrificial Act was the Key that opened the Lock. Now the Gatekeeper opens the gate to anyone who accepts His offer to enter and enjoy His Sweet Pastures. Its indescribably beautiful on His side of the Gate! Are you longing to follow the sheep that are grazing there? What are you waiting for?! “But he who enters by the Door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To Him the Gatekeeper opens. … I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and go in and find pasture. … I lay down My Life for the sheep. …” John 10: 2-3, 9, 15 janefnewman.com Daily Glory Glimpses  I am on an adventure to seek-out Glimpses of God’s Glory in a 30 day/30 paintings challenge. It is joyful anticipation to find a subject to paint on a small canvas each day. Some of the “scenes” so far have been obviously beautifully inspiring like: clay flowerpots kissed by the rays of the warm spring sunrise, or photos taken last Mother’s Day of table centerpieces of red roses and pink tulips in green glass mason jars, or my neighbors abandoned, rusty, vine covered, metal mailbox. Some days it has been more challenging to find subjects to paint though, due to the many everyday housekeeping tasks that beckon outside of what I have come to refer to as my “Pandemic Confinement Therapy Painting”. But believe it or not, even drudgery tasks like dishes, laundry and trash can make for some interesting subjects to capture on canvas.
I recently posted 3 of these daily paintings on Facebook just for fun with the hope of bringing some giggles and lightening the air a bit. A close friend commented that “…you can take laundry and garbage and make it beautiful with light, now there is a devotional.” She speaks Truth! These everyday tasks (as well as being quarantined in our homes for extended periods of time) can be anything but beautiful when they are viewed or experienced in darkness, or drabness. It can all weigh us down. But catch a glimpse of sunlight streaming in through a window falling across a laundry basket piled with soiled clothes and instantly they are worthy of capturing with oil paint. Likewise, when we seek God in the midst of things that aren’t so pretty, even ugly sometimes, He will always show us something beautiful and it is as if He has shined a bright Light on the grayness. Bestselling christian author and motivational speaker, Ann Voskamp, puts it this way, “The secret Joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.” (One Thousand Gifts, 2010) The “secret Joy” can be that laundry means your children are safe at home, dishes can mean you had enough to eat, and taking out the trash could mean your chores are completed for the day. Seek His Light in all things and He will be faithful to Shine even in the darkest places. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 janefnewman.com |