Generally speaking, when we hear something has broken that was special in our lives we have a tendency to blame Satan. But what if the blame isn't always his (which, in hindsight, he probably enjoys being blamed bc it might take away from God's glory in some way)? Sure he loves to destroy things in our lives but, I mean, God has destroyed temples and cities to get people's attentions, for goodness sake! Why can't He take things in our lives away that are material??
So, I have this ring. I love this ring. It's white gold with a pearl in the middle of what could be thought of as an opening oyster but way cuter. I've had it for a few years now. It was my mom's that her father gave her when she was around 15 or 16. I love pearls because my name means "Pearl." I had wanted a pearl ring for a good while so that I could wear it on my left ring finger in order to deter creeps or at least make someone really get to know me before they realized it wasn't an engagement ring (it looked close enough to where if you ring-checked me you'd think it was an engagement ring). A "promise ring" or sorts.
It has spared me numerous times from the awkward small talk and "Can I have your number?" questions that always come after an ambitious attraction.
However, last week God broke it. Yes. God broke my ring, literally.
I was at work, moved the mini industrial freezer/cooler we have (not a big piece of machinery or heavy or that impressive), and when I put it back in its place against the wall, somehow my ring got hit the right way and the band cracked inward into my finger. Completely and utterly broken. I had to peel the ring off as delicately as possible, and it hurt! If I lost grip on the portion I was bending out of my finger, it went right back to where it was lodged.
Eventually I got it off and went back to work. But I was devastated! I couldn't believe my ring had just broken, but as soon as it broke, God spoke through my pain and said, "I did that. I broke your ring." In the moment all I could think was, "F***! This hurts so badly and I might need frickin' pliers to get it off! Ugh! This is going to cost so much to repair!"
It was really interesting that God breaks something in my life and I complain about the pain. See, we normally do this in our spiritual walks: say how God is breaking us and how it's painful but it will all be for the better. Then we smile and move on, but we always give Him the credit, but when things break in the real world, we automatically assume Satan is personally attacking us.
Never did I think God would actually make the above a real life, tangible thing for me!
He took my ring to make me vulnerable. To make me answer to those around me for my actions. He took my ring to say, "I'm not some loser guy. Take your ring off for me so that if I decide it's time to put an actual engagement ring on you, that finger is free."
CAUTION: TANGENT AHEAD (( He is SUCH a man! It seriously blows my mind every time I think about how great He is and how He just puts me in my place every time I get out of it. I never even knew that was something I liked until He did it....He's just teaching me so much lately about myself and about my future earthly hubby. Damn. This is good stuff. He's just seriously messing in my heart right now and I got those little butterflies bouncing off my stomach walls. ))
Back on track....after my ring was broken, I told a couple friends about the interesting experience that God just hit me with. Not a week later, one of my best friends calls me and says, "God's seriously up to something! The stone in one of my favorite rings is gone!"
Her ring wasn't an engagement ring, it was a ring of value. I told her that God wanted to take away whatever that ring symbolized for her. A couple hours later, she came to me and said her ring symbolized completion because she has this even number thing and that was her fourth ring she'd wear and it had a very special stone that can only be found in one place in the world. In fact, here's what she said,
"OMG!! Jesus is just blowing my mind to smithereens right now! So you know how I said my ring symbolized completeness to me? Well, I just realized something: God didn't necessarily "break" my ring, he just removed the most valuable element aka the stone. A ring without a stone is incomplete. Jesus is my stone! I had been walking around like I was this beautiful ring, but in reality, my most valuable element (my stone aka Jesus) was removed...."
Jesus used that to tell her she was "off track" and He missed her. He wanted to be "back" in her life. He used my ring to tell me I needed to date Him like I'd date any man and take off my security of not having to "worry" about engaging and be vulnerable and honest with people. Because, really, what girl dating any man wears a ring on "that" finger?
Don't always cry devil when things go awry. Sometimes God is just trying to get our attention in tangible ways.
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