This is a story about my mother, whose birthday it is today.

Anytime I go home back in Mississippi, my mother and father commit them self’s to filling my car with as much stuff as possible. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, food—you name it, it gets jammed into my Cadillac XTS. I have always been a master packer if I do say so myself, so it’s become a game of epic proportions to get it all in there and still have a comfortable ride back to the wasteland of the Midwest.

Anyhow, one time I had found bags of jewelry she had packed in bags that lived inside of other bags. I dumped out the bags of bags, and down in the middle of many small baggies of costume jewelry (which I happen to love because I love jewelry and also I lose it fast), I found a baggie full of little things I need for work—binder clips and pretty push pins and other things.

AND.

Out tumbled this little box with my name on it. A most beautiful brand new gold tennis bracelet loaded with my birthstone. A jewel in the midst of jewels.

God’s Love is like that. He gives blessings on blessings, drawing you with lovingkindness, chasing you with an everlasting love, following you with grace and mercy and goodness.

Remember that. Remember that when life is LIFING, it isn’t God doing something to you to punish you. It’s not God testing you. God is right there with you, empowering you to dig through the baggies of bull crap to get you to that spot in the ruble where the jewel of His presence shines bright in you and on you and through you.