The Key to Conservation

The official looking letter said mandatory water restrictions. A few months ago we had more rain than we wanted. But lately it's been very dry and very, very hot. The two problems combine to heavily tax the local water supply. 

Even when we aren't pressured with an immediate shortage, it's beneficial to safeguard resources. In addition to water, we can limit energy consumption, recycle paper, metal, and plastics, and spend carefully. These actions serve well to help extend their life. 

But there is a resource that has no need to be conserved. It fact, the more frugal we are with it, the worse things become. Conserve water, electricity, or even viewpoints, but not love. All you need to do is turn on the television to know the world needs it more than ever. 

Lessons for the Journey: 

Love was never intended to be conserved. Unlike water, energy, or natural resources, its limits are boundless. Love is supernatural. The more of it you share the more of it you have to give.  Don't hold back. Don't wait until it's deserved. Just give it away.

"And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows." 

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ NLT

Repairing Broken Treasures

Crack! The sound reverberated across the room. My family and I watched in horror as a slow motion scene unfolded. Our beautifully adorned Christmas tree crashed to the floor sending shattered ornaments everywhere. 

At a craft fair many years prior, my husband and I had discovered a booth selling handmade ceramic ornaments in the midst of summer. They were lovely so we bought four, but one was especially beautiful. A shimmery pale blue in color, it showed an idyllic scene of a snow covered family home. Every year since, we have purchased a new ornament to add to the collection.

The special blue one has hung on our tree every year since we bought it, although it is no longer as beautiful as it once was. We repaired it as best we could after the tree disaster but it will never be the same. 

When cherished treasures are broken they can often be put back together with glue. Sometimes the seam will be visible like the one that stretches across the face of the blue ornament. Other times the repairs will be invisible, but the structural weakness remains. No amount of glue can undo the damage and make it as good as new. No human glue that is.  

More than our possessions can be damaged in life. Even our treasured relationship with our spouse, family and friends may be wounded, sometimes so much so that they shatter. In the midst of the broken remains, healing and restoration seem impossible. The damage runs too deep. But nothing is impossible for God. He spoke all of creation into being; He can speak new life into dead relationships. 

If you love a person, don't give up on them, or your relationship, instead give them to God. Take responsibility for your actions, let them know they are still important to you, and leave the rest to the Great Restorer. It will take time but, unlike my fractured ornament, your idyllic family home can be made new. 

Message for the Journey:

When damaged, delicate treasures can rarely be restored by earthly means. The broken pieces can be glued but it is never as good as new. Yet, when the damaged treasure is a precious relationship, there is always hope. He that resurrects the dead can give new life to dead marriages and relationships. He makes all things new.

And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"

Rev 21:5a

 ©AnnWilds2011

Do you have a praise report on a relationship that God restored? I invite you to share it below and spread hope to others.