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‘It was meant to be. . .it wasn’t meant to be.”  These are called pregnant phrases.  They’re conceived in the moment from the circumstances that arrive. They give birth to such a variety of attitudes and philosophies.  Good Luck.  Bad luck.  Fate.  Destiny.  It was in the cards.  The cards dealt to me. I heard that little sheep with the big ears say, “It is the Lord. Let Him do to me what seems Good to Him.”

I was driving down the Dan Ryan one warm, summer morning with the top down on my car.  I had a  sporty, little red convertible. It was 1976.  I was going in late to work as usual, and I was feeling pretty “mellow”  😉   The Beatles were singing on the radio. It is one of my favorite songs.  It means much more to me now than it did then.  Everything means more to me now.

“Love, Love, Love.  Love, Love, Love.  Love, Love, Love.  All you need is Love, Love. . .Love is all you need.”  It does seem like that in the same way that the cloud in the sky looks like a teddy bear, or  the shadow on the wall looks like a real person.  They are illusions and a figment of man’s extraordinary imagination.

There’s a song by the Grateful Dead called, “Good Lovin.”  The true meaning of the title actually comes straight out of the bible. “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit Eternal Life?  Jesus said to him, ‘why do you call me Good?  There is none Good but one, that is God.”  The word “Good” is clearly defined.

“For Love is of God. . .for God is Love.”  The word “Love” is clearly defined.  Good Lovin is only God’s Own Love.  .  .a Love that God alone possesses.   I know.  What about what we possess.  What about what consumes us, intoxicates us, possesses us, enchants us, fills us, energizes us, sometimes breaks our heart, seems to make the world go round and is often a many splendored thing?  What about that human love?  Let’s see if it’s the real McCoy. Let’s take it to the assayer’s office to see if it’s real or fool’s gold.

“Love is patient.  Love is kind.  It does not envy.  It does not boast.  It is not rude or self-seeking (self-centered).  It is not easily angered.  It takes no record of wrongs done to it.  It always hopes.  It always believes.  It always forgives.  It never runs out or comes to an end.  Love never fails.”

The Lilies are in Love with the Love that was meant to be.  They are intoxicated with the Fragrance that Comforts their troubled hearts and brings Peace into their soul.  All the Dumbo sheep are consumed with the Love that never fails, it never runs out or comes to an end.  The eagles fly into the heavens and are possessed with the Colors of the Rainbow of Love.  They all know that they love, because God first Loved them.  “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”  Everything is always first with Him.  He is always beforehand.  He is the Author. He is the life essence. “In Him, we live and move and have our being; for from Him and through Him and back to Him, are all things;  all the springs of Love are from Him as the Source.”

A Love that was meant to be.  A Love that was destined to be.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  Upper case letters.  All Upper Case Loves.  All Heavenly Loves.  Three Loves in One.  The Father always knew who He had Chosen to LOVE .  The Son always knew who He would live for and die and then LOVE within and The Holy Spirit always knew who He would LOVE and fill with the very Life of Christ and teach all the little sheep everything they would ever need to know about God and His faithful promises.  “God is not a man that He should lie; nor the son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act.  Does He promise and not fulfill like man?”   God is not like man in any way nor is His love like man’s in any way.

“Because of the Lord’s great Love, we are not consumed and alone; His compassion and mercy never fails; it is new every morning.  Great is thy Faithfulness.”  Although we are faithless, he is Faithful.  A Love that is free, full  and fresh every morning. . .arriving and rising with the same certainty as the sun.

Loved before time, Loved in time, Loved after time.  Everlasting Love.  A Love that was always meant to be for every one of His elect children who are the apple of His Eye.

As I think about this story, it reminds me of the saying, “It takes one to know one.”  Or, “Two peas in a pod.”  Another is “Eagles of a feather, flock together.” All of God’s Beautiful Lilies will understand and smile.

There is a story in the Bible that is well known by both religious and non-religious types. It’s called “The Prodigal Son.”  The story is a parable.  A parable is a presentation of a true story that usually contains a lesson to be learned, which most of us can see and hear.  But it also contains a deeper, Spiritual meaning, which is usually about the Ocean of God’s Love.  It is the Sea of Promises where the “Too Good to be true, are totally true” blessings are.

Spiritual truths are like tulip bulbs. They are both seed and substance.  One is in the ground of soil and the other in the ground of a heart. The life in the seed of both remain only a potential until the season arrives.  Then the secret evolution below the ground destroys the seed and new life in a new form arrives, full of Beauty.  This is reflected in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

“There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the estate. So his father divided the estate between His two sons. So the son went off into a far country and squandered his wealth in wild living. He spent everything he had.  So he got a job tending to pigs and feeding them.  He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one cared about him, nor gave him anything to eat.  Then he came to his senses.

” I’ll go back to my father and admit that I had sinned against him and ask for his forgiveness. I know that I am no longer worthy to be called his son, but maybe he’ll let me be one of the laborers.” As he approached  the estate, his father spotted him from a long way off, and was so filled with compassion and love for his son, that he ran up to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.

The son said, “Father, please forgive me,” and the father’s response was only to his servants, “Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  He put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  This son of mine was dead, but is alive again. He was lost and now is found.”  So they all began to celebrate.

It was a special ring.  It was the King’s ring. “Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand. . .and made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.  Ruler over all the land.  It was meant as a clear evidence to all, of the union between the two. “And they shall be coupled together into one ring for the ring shall be for them both.”  What the King possessed was now Joseph’s. What the father possessed was now the son’s.  What God possessed was now the prodigal’s.

The Father’s word was final.  Everything he intended for his son would become reality because of his Father’s power and authority.  “All of what was promised was written in the King’s name and sealed with the King’s ring; for the writing  which is written on the ring by the King, no man can reverse.  Esther 8:8  It was a Love Ring.  It entitled the prodigal son to the Riches of the Kingdom.

Webster’s dictionary defines prodigal as:  “given to reckless extravagance;  unrestrained in spending; a ‘good-for-nothing’. Words engraved on the soul of all prodigals. I know.  But as you continue with the definition in the dictionary is says, “one who gives lavishly;  giving with profuse liberality; on who supplies in excessive abundance.”  The prodigal son has a Prodigal Father.  He’s engraved his Love on the Ring.  “I will liberally supply freely all your needs, according to My Riches.”

He’s engraved His mercy on it. “Give thanks to the Father for His mercy endures forever.”  He’s etched His power on it. “I can do all things through Him Who gives me strength.”  On the ring are written the words, “Wisdom, Kindness, Forgiveness, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Self-control.”  It says, “All things will work together for your good. . .I am the Source and Resource of all your needs.”

From the word prodigal, comes the word, “prodigy.”  It means, “something extraordinary or inexplicable;  someone who excites admiration and wonder;  a miracle.”

A tulip bulb transformed into nature’s Beauty. . .such life and beauty from within the darkness of the earth.  . .and the Prodigal son, rising up from within the darkness of his soul with such Life and Beauty. . . inheriting the Riches of the Prodigal Father. . .becoming His Prodigy, a miracle to Behold.

Free, my Love.  Freely given.  Especially suited for the prodigal sheep.  Come home little lamb.

     I didn’t realize how serious my situation was. None of us really do until we get new eyes and ears.  The venom was beginning to destroy my internal organs, my mind, my heart, and my soul. Death was imminent. The symptoms were unmistakable. I was snakebit.

     Webster’s dictionary defines “snakebit” as: bitten by a venomous snake; characterized by stinging pain in the puncture wound, constitutional symptoms and injury to blood and nerve tissue.  There’s a story from the 21st Chapter of Numbers in the Old Testament that falls into the category of “When it comes to God’s Love, if it’s too good to be true, its totally true.”

     “And the people said against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water and we loathe the light, contemptible manna.’  Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many of them died.”

      When you’re addicted to cocaine and alcohol, they become your best friend. . .and your worst nightmare.  Mass destruction.  Despair, depression, self-condemnation. . .a heart disease filled with guilt and remorse for the pain and suffering that you have caused those around you.  Hopeless.  A life that was so filled with good things from the Creator and yet, dissatisfied with it all, needing something more, just to feel alive.  What insanity.  Definitely the consequences of the poison in the blood stream, compelling me to self-destruct.

       “And the people came to Moses and said, ‘We are sorry, we have sinned against God. Please ask the Lord to take away the serpents from us. So Moses asked God to save them.  And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent of bronze, and set it on a pole.  Everyone who is aware that they are bitten, when he looks at it, he shall be cured and will live.” 

     When  your soul is dying and you know it, you try every home remedy available.  Everything from resolutions to pleading with the God Who I didn’t know at all, Who if He was listening, wasn’t going to help the worst person I knew.

     “And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked  to the serpent of bronze, he lived.”  I’m just imagining  the chaos that developed from the onset of the fiery serpents and people dropping like flies as they are bit.  Trying everything they know to stay alive, depending on their own resources to deal with the poison that was killing them. “Look at the snake on the pole,” Moses said.  Way too good to be true.  Man’s own reasoning and sensibilities, his own common sense, would reject this cure. . .unless there were no other options, and until they were given eagle eyes and Dumbo ears.

      The evidences and symptoms of being snakebit are all-conclusive.  They go way beyond substance abuse and addictions.  Everyone is snakebit, but not everyone knows it.  Everyone has there own experience with it, and they comfort themselves by comparing their little faults with others.  They apply their own medicines to the wounds. We all do. We’re all the same.

     John 3:16.  Sports fans everywhere have seen this before.  It’s usually written on a poster and held up by someone with rainbow colored hair.  The very verse right before it says, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert on a pole, it is necessary that the Son of God be lifted up on a cross; so that everyone who looks at Him will not die, but have Life and live forever.”

     Just a look, with eyes that see.  Just to hear it, with ears that hear.  Entering through the Gate into the Kingdom.  “Come to Me, all of you who are tired and weary.  I will give you rest and peace. I am the Cure.” 

 

    

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

    

A few days ago, I was painting with my son Ben and we were listening to music to help pass the time.  A Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song from Woodstock was playing. . .”Well I came upon a child of God. He was walking along the road and I asked him, ‘ Tell me, where are you going”?  And his response was, “Got to get back to the land and set my soul free.  We got to get ourselves back to the garden.”  The music brought back old memories for me of the revolution of the 60’s.  Frankly, most of the time I didn’t know if I was coming or going.

You know the  story.  A generation rejecting a conservative philosophy of life that was strangling them.  Departing on a train ride, hoping to arrive at the Garden.   I was part of that revolution, at least regarding the music, the message. . .and the drugs.    An entire generation had grown new eyes and new ears to see and embrace a new message.  It came as a shock to older generations, but it certainly was not a surprise to the Creator, Who had simply turned the page of the story of life, written in full by Him before time began.

Most people who consider deeper things, believe that man started with God in the Garden of Eden;  but that’s not where God started with man.  When Adam and Eve arrived, they had simply departed from the Eternal Womb of God.  They eternally existed within Him and were given birth in time as He gives birth, not only to all things, in all ways;  but to every moment of its experience.

Just think about your own life, or if not your own, someone who fits this description.  Their song is, “We got  to get ourselves back to the garden. ”  They’re searching for buried treasure, wanting to fill up the desires of their heart.  Lusting, craving, setting their heart upon one thing or another.  .  .an unquenchable hunger and thirst.  Seeing something that they want or they need and departing on the road to obtain it.

When the arrive at their desired destination, they are intoxicated by the experience.  High on life!  Then they come down.  Another moment comes and they’re off again.  Just a revolving door, nothing  more.  Depart, arrive;  depart arrive.  It makes my head spin.

What about that child of God, walking along the road?  Is he any different?  No and yes. Different enough to be asked by the other Woodstock traveler, “Tell me, where are you going?”  He whispered something to him that is not in the lyrics of the song.  It’s  a secret.  “Man’s goings, every step he takes looking for happiness, are determined by the Lord.  How can a man then understand his way or know what he’s doing.” Proverbs 20:24  Then with tears in his eyes,  he told the Woodstock traveler, “He knows the way that I take.  And as He leads me through the trails and trials of life, I will see the Treasure and I will hear the Music.  I will be High, like an eagle.  He will turn my own soul into Gold.”   The Gold of God.

            “We are Stardust; we are Golden;  we are caught  in the devil’s bargain. . .and we got to get ourselves back to the Garden.”

One door closing then another one opens.  Disappointment, then Joy. Always departing; but all the Lilies, all the Dumbo sheep who soar like eagles hear this music and see it with their own eyes,  “The Lord will keep you from all evil.  He will keep  your life.  The Lord will keep your going out (departing) and your coming in (arriving) from this time forth, and for evermore.” Psalm 121:7-8

 

Some years ago, I was painting the exterior of a house and from across a little pond that was shared by a small community of homes, came the sound of the words, “Whatever”.  A few seconds later, another “Whatever”.  Then a few more and each one a little louder than the one before.  I have used the word many times and hear it frequently.  What does it mean?  You know.

“Don’t bother me. . .I’m done. . .this is not going well. . .kiss off. . .I feel hurt but its anger that is coming out of me. . . I have a finger in each ear and I’m saying, “La la la la la”. Frustration, agitation, negative communication.  No more celebration.  Dead in the moment. Not good.

One day my daughter Rachel came home from school with a project she had made in a shop class.  It was a wooden plaque with the inscriptions etched on it, “No pain, no gain.  No guts, no glory.”  As someone else has said, “If it doesn’t kill you, it’s good for you.”  Something in the human intellect responds like a warrior and agrees with the premise.  “Bring it on.”  Then not too many moments or minutes later, the fighting spirit is gone.

The mystical, magical influencing that come from the words, simply disappear.  Another triggering event, another difficult moment subdues the life of the encouraging thought and despair returns. And after each event, the warrior spirit diminishes and then dies.  The walking dead.

When the little Dumbo sheep come into the Royal flock, the King Himself brands their heart with two inscriptions, “I have loved you with an Everlasting Love; therefore with Loving-kindness have I drawn you to me.  I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt My little lamb.”  A little later, when they begin to grow up a little and the journey becomes difficult, He holds the hot iron in His hand and imprints the words in the soul, “We know and are assured, that God being a Partner in the labor of life; all things work together for Good for those Whom He Loves.“   All things.  All. Things. Whatever.

The New Testament of the Bible is translated from the Beautiful Greek Language. The phrase, “all things” is defined as:  all, any, every, the whole;  all manner of means;  always; daily; every way, every one; thoroughly; whatever.  Whatever!  Whatever happens works together for Good.

Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus was dead in the tomb for four days.  Dead.  Jesus went to the tomb and simply said, “Lazarus, come forth.”  The Power of Jesus’ words brought the heart of Lazarus back to Life and he walked out of the tomb, Alive.  It’s exactly the same when He speaks to His dead, but only sleeping sheep.

When they are in their “whatever” moments and dead in the water, so to speak, He says with the same Creative Power that Spoke the Universe into existence, “All things whatsoever that come your way, I have authored for you.  Everything that happens will serve you.  Whatever you go through will work together for Good.

God says of His children, “Sing about a fruitful vineyard.  I the Lord watch over it.  I water it continually.  I guard it day and night so that nothing can harm it.”  Nothing can do harm to it, even when it feels like harm.

No Pain, No Gain.  No Guts, No Glory.  All things work together for Good for His children.  Whatever comes, in every way and in every form strips His sheep of their own power and self-righteousness and replaces what they have lost with Himself.  .  .through His Son Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Then they are able to say, “When I am weak, then I am Strong. .  .I can do all things through Christ, Who Strengthens me..”

 

As I was about to share with you one of the most “Too Good to be True, but it is True” facts about God’s Love to His little flock of Dumbo sheep, my soul was feeling the Morning Dew glistening on my heart and welling up in my eyes.  When you have lived a life of failures and disappointments and something Miraculous happens to you, it’s just like Christmas morning as a child.

“He’s making a list, checking it twice; gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. . .he knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness’ sake.”   Based on that criteria, my present would be Christmas coal.   .   . or so I thought much of my life.   One year I asked Santa for a train set.  I went to bed on Christmas eve so excited about waking up the next morning.  I could hardly sleep.  The new morning came, as it always does, and as I made my way down the hallway towards the living room, I could hear the sound of the train rolling down the tracks. Oh, was I wide-eyed when it came into view.  Hearing it first, then seeing it for myself. Santa was gracious to me.

  “And God is able to make all grace, every favor and earthly blessing, come to you in abundance; so that you may always and under all circumstances, and whatever the need, be self-sufficient. . . possessing within the Gift of Himself to you, a union with the Creator; therefore requiring no outside aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and donation of Love to others.”  This verse is  from the New Testament in the ninth chapter of 2 Corinthians.

When Abraham was 99 years old and his wife Sarah was 90, God told him that he would be the father of many nations. They were not able to have children. They were both barren.  However, “What is impossible with man, is possible with God.”  They had a son whose name was Isaac.  God kept His promise to them. Only He can create something something beautiful in the barren wilderness of our soul.  .   .Beautiful Lilies in the desert.

Man is born barren, even to the self-knowledge of how utterly barren he is.  It’s a well-kept secret; but at the appointed time, when God’s Eternal Will turns the page of a new day, He reveals all the secrets to His little flock of sheep. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those that mourn, the meek of the earth, those who hunger and thirst for something more than what this world has to offer; those who are without strength. . .they shall be comforted;  they shall inherit the earth; they shall be filled;  they shall fly on wings like eagles; they shall inherit the Riches of the King.”

Are you ready (lower case r); He is the Source of Readiness (Capital R).  Are you willing (little w); He is the Spring of Willingness (Heavenly W).  Are you able (only in your dreams, little a);  He is the Ocean of Ability and Strength, the Omnipotent One.  “He Who spared not His Own Son, but gave him up for us all; will He not therefore in giving His Son, freely give us all things.”  Freely give all things; freely receive all things. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to His Love I cling, for when I am weak, then I am Strong in the the Lord and the Power of His Might!

    “Thy people shall be willing, in the day of Your Power, clothed in the Beauty of the Colors of The Rainbow; equipped and furnished to fight the good fight, to live the good life and to soar above the troubles of life.”  Ready, Willing and Able.

I was sitting by myself, off in a corner of the room.  People were filing by and going up to the casket that my mom was lying in. It was like a dream. It didn’t seem real. Why did this happen?  How could He take her from me?  I am teary eyed right now writing this.  “Good grief”. Will I ever get over it?  The tenderness in my heart is an evidence that the sadness I feel is good grief.  Healing grief.

A priest came into the room and walked up to my dad and said a few words to him.  Then he made an announcement that he was going to pray and invited the people there to pray with him. “Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallow be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. . .”  Thy will be done.  Thy will be done on earth. Thy will is done on earth. Thy will be done in Heaven.  thy will is done in Heaven. His will, the Origin and Source of all that exists, in every way, shape and form, be done.   .   .it is done!

I used to think that the phrase, “Thy will be done”, was my acceptance of whatever comes.  “Do your will Lord on earth and in my life.  I still think that, but now that thought has entered the Ocean and in the depths of what is true about the Creator, the phrase is an acknowledgement and awareness that everything that happens in time and Eternity comes from the Heart of the Author of Life;  all prepared by Him before time and arriving perfectly in time.

To live with purpose, to love with passion, to soar like an eagle, one needs to be ready, willing and able.  Are you ready?  Do you feel equipped and prepared for the challenges of the day?  Are you willing?  Is your heart and mind agreeable to fight the good fight.  Need some help, helpless one? Without Hope, hopeless one? Unable to fly like an eagle, little Dumbo sheep?

  “Your people shall be willing in the day of Your Power, in the Beauty of the Rainbow of Your Love, and Your Strength, and Your Faithfulness.”   He is the Supreme Will of the Universe.  His will is the River of Life and all other wills are little streams that flow out from the River, carried along by the River and arrive at His predetermined destinations every day, in every way.  It is a Deep Mystery.  His Will and the will of His creatures.  The choices He has already made for them, and the choices they make for themselves every day.

There is an old song by the group, Birds called “To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn), There is a Season.”  For everything, for everyone, each new day is simply the next page of their life that the Creator has written.  He turns the page and a new day begins, just as He has authored it. The lyrics from the song are from an Old Testament book in the bible called Ecclesiastes, from the third chapter. Towards the end of the chapter, the mystery continues. . .“I know that whatever God does, what He wills to do, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor can anything be subtracted from it. That which has existed in His Own heart before creation, arrives now at this very moment; and that which is coming in the next moment, is simply His Eternal thoughts becoming your own personal reality in time.

   “And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom God’s Spirit made willing. . .they came to fight the good fight.”  Exodus 35:21  All of His sheep come.  All of His Lilies adorn the table that He has set for them.  He has ordered your daily food for you from His menu of Love.  He has provided all that you need, to be ready, willing and able. “Then shall the King say to the little flock at His right hand, Come all of you blessed by My Father; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the creation of the world.”  Matthew 25:34

He is so Ready.  He is so Willing.  And tomorrow. . .we are so Able.

Just picture the delivery room at a hospital.  The expectant mom has been in labor for a few hours and all signs are good for a healthy delivery and birth of a newborn.  The baby is just about ready to appear, when suddenly there is a faint sound of singing.  It’s an old Rock And Roll song.  The mom gives one more push and to her amazement, and to the astonishment of the others in the room, the new baby arrives singing the Fat’s Domino song, “Well I’m ready, I’m willing and I’m able to rock and roll all night.”

Championship bouts in Boxing always begin with “Let’s get ready to rumble.” Every day in life is a championship bout. It’s all about being ready.  It’s all about being willing.  And most importantly, it’s all about being able to fight the good fight.  Let’s look at it in three parts.  Today it’s all about “Ready”.

Who’s really ready?  I love watching the extraordinary movements and actions of a new baby as she evolves in life.  Always thinking, always learning, always so fully reacting to everything around. Smiling, laughing, crying, speaking a real word, taking a first step, looking brilliant to those who love her.  Genetically and environmentally influenced to grow in stature and inherently predisposed to becoming a living, working, purposeful individual.  Ready to rumble through early childhood, adolescence, teenage and young adulthood, and Ready to rock and roll through the night and days of adulthood.   .   .or so I thought.  The rigors of living made me punch drunk and I lost by a knockout in the tenth round.  It was only then that I discovered that God has a special place in His heart for a palooka (an inferior or average prize fighter).   .   . and He remakes them is His own image.  He enables them to do all things.

“For we are God’s own handiwork, His workmanship; recreated with a new heart that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us; taking the paths which He prepared ahead of time enabling us to walk in them; living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us.”  This is the only exception to the rule, “If it’s too good to be true, it’s too Good to be true.”  The entire lives of the sheep of His flock are prearranged and made ready by the Creator. He is always, “at the ready” enabling  them in a moment,  to live the Good Life, to fight the Good fight and puts them in possession of a Faith that moves mountains.  He is the their Source of Power.  He is their Essence of Readiness.  “I can do all things through Him Who gives me strength”.

He is their Strength to Love, their Strength to forgive, their Strength to be patient, their Strength to be wise, their Strength to be self-controlled, their Strength to be a Dad, their Strength to be a Mom, their Strength to be a Friend, their Strength to fight the Good fight.  A Divine, Infinite Resource.  They are made Ready to rock and roll all night. . .and day.

Tomorrow, God “willing”.

“Somewhere over the Rainbow, way up high.  There’s a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the Rainbow, skies are blue; and the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true.”  One morning this week my heart was very sad and lonely.  I am teary-eyed now as the thoughts of that morning revisit my soul.  When sadness and disappointment are present in me, my thoughts regularly turn to my mother for relief.  As a child, I sat in a movie theater with her, watching Judy Garland sing this song from the Wizard of Oz.  My mother died when she was only 37. It’s the memories of her that comfort me.  Is there any Love more wonderful than a mother’s Love?  Just the thought of those moments seems to heal my pain.

Rainbows are pretty cool, whether its one sitting majestically in the sky or a little mini-version that comes from the spray of a water hose in the sun.  The first Rainbow that appeared on the earth was in the time of Noah and the Ark.  The entire story begins in the 7th chapter of Genesis in the Bible.  The word used in the story is “Bow,” short for Rainbow.  It means, “a bow for shooting Strength;  the Divine Archer Shooting an arrow from one end of the earth to the other.”  But it’s much, much more than that.  It’s so much more than that.  It’s Eternally and Divinely much more.

Before the Universe was created and time began, when only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit existed, they had already determined everything that would exist in time, everywhere in the universe.  Everything. I was driving one morning through the parking lot at McDonalds  and the leaves were still falling from a small tree.  Each leaf fell at a certain moment and to a certain place to experience a certain outcome.  Everything is Certain and happens necessarily because of the Truth of the Rainbow.

God is the Archer and the arrow that He shoots from one end of the earth to the other, always Hits His Mark.  It is always a bulls-eye.  The arrow is called His Eternal Decree.  The decree includes everything in every way, shape and form that will come into existence each moment of every day, for everything on the earth and in the universe.  He shoots it with the Strength of Divine Omnipotence.  His Power is Infinite.  There are no bounds or limitations to it. It rules over every atomic second of life. “in God, we live and move and have our being.”  The Master Planner has Arranged all things to reflect Himself and His Love for His little flock of sheep.

On each side of the Rainbow, what lies before and after its beginning and end, is Eternity.  So the Big Picture of the Rainbow is:  Eternity Past (which is hidden from view),  then creation and all events that come into existence in time, then Eternity Future (hidden also), after time no longer exists. All are present in the arrow that flies perfectly at God’s command, hitting His pre-determined mark.  That’s the Rainbow.  But Oh! There’s so much more.  There’s the Colors.

The Colors of the Rainbow are the Gifts of His Love.  In the midst of a storm, when the dark clouds of life visit the soul and the rain comes down, the Son Shines and the Colors fill the heart with His Presence.  Each color is Proof of His Love and Faithfulness.  Shades of Comfort and Peace, Forgiveness, Wisdom and Knowledge, Rest and Joy.

     “I do set My Rainbow in the cloud and it shall be an evidence of the promise that I make between you and Me. It is an Everlasting Promise that I will not be angry with you.  It is only an Eternal Love that I have for you. The rain that sometimes pours on your soul will only give Me the opportunity to Bless you with My Rainbow of Love.  .  .“There was a Rainbow round about the throne of God and its appearance was like a multi-colored Emerald.” 

The Rainbow in the sky is the Reflection of the Heavenly Rainbow that surrounds the throne of God.  The Essence of it is His Love, His Kindness, His Mercy, His Patience and His promise to do all things for His little flock.

“He performs the things that He has predestined for me, and many such things are with Him.”

“Somewhere over the Rainbow, blue birds fly. Birds fly over the Rainbow, why then oh why can’t I”?  Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary.  They will walk and not lose Hope.

It was 3:00 in the morning.  We were standing in line outside a department store.  There were 20 people ahead of us.  Would there be any left when it was our turn to go inside?  Please God, save some for us.  The entrance door opened at 9:00, and by that time there were hundreds of people waiting to get in.

The line slowly started to move.  The employees were only allowing a few people at a time to enter.  It was agonizing.  It finally was our turn to enter and we were ushered to a small room filled with Gold and Silver, diamonds and rubies. . . Cabbage Patch Kids!  It was exhilarating!  I knew what  King Midas must have felt as he lusted after his treasures.  Each of us were allowed to buy 2 dolls.  Although they were expensive, they had been slightly discounted and after we made the purchases, we walked out,  securely holding on to our little Pearls.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one Pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”    It’s hard to believe now, but in our zeal to purchase the dolls at any price, we used most of the available cash that we had.  I’m not even sure where they are now.  What are they currently worth   in sentimental value to our daughters, or in monetary value as collector’s items?  Back then, in the magical moment when we watched the girls open their Christmas presents and saw their eyes open wide with delight, the cost and the effort was worth it.  But moments like that are so fleeting.  They fly away.

“Hey, every one that is thirsty, come to the Waters and he that has no money;  come and buy, and eat;  yes, come and buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for that which is not bread?  And why do you work so hard on possessing things that do not satisfy you.  They always fly away and you are still hungry and thirsty.  Listen to me.  Eat and drink that which is Good and your soul will be Full and Satisfied.”  As far as the human heart goes, it needs every day to be Black Friday.  Searching, seeking, treasure hunting every moment for that sweet deal, that special moment that makes life worthwhile.

We sell everything that we have.  We sell ourselves for those goodly pearls, for that wine and milk and bread.  We give what we are and we give what we can, to be happy.  “Awake, awake, put on thy Strength. . .put on the Beautiful garments;  shake thyself from the dust of this world;  arise and sit down. . .the search is over.  You have sold yourselves for nothing;  and you shall be redeemed without money or cost of any kind.”

“There was a certain Creditor Who had two debtors ;  the one owed 500 pence and the other 50;  and when they had nothing to pay  and no future hope of paying; the Creditor frankly forgave them both.  Which of them will love Him more?”   It was Black Friday for both of them.  Instead of being thrown into debtor’s prison, they stood in line and were led in to the inner room where they found Mercy and Forgiveness. . .and it was all Free.  They left with an Arm Full of Treasure.  It was White Friday.

“I counsel thee to buy of Me, Gold tried in the fire that you may be Rich; and a White robe,  so that you may be clothed in the finest of apparel; so that your guilt and shame will no longer appear.  I will give you eyes so you can see Truth clearly.  You will be full of Wisdom and Strength.  You will Love and be Loved.  You will have Purpose in Life.  You will be the child of a King.”

God’s own flock of Cabbage Patch sheep, purchased by His Son.   He always holds them in His arms and Delights in them.