Cuckoo Clocks and Baby Clothes

Yesterday, my precious husband searched high and low to find me a gift. He and Sarah drove over 150 miles to find it. Finally, grinning shyly he presented me with a German Cuckoo Clock.

I am touched. Everytime the little birdie comes out and heralds the hour, I smile and remember....Kevin loves me! :)

When we first married, my parents gave us their cuckoo clock. I grew up listening to it and enjoyed it being on the wall in my parents home. Now, it was on the wall in MY home.

When our oldest son was five, he loved throwing a football around. I had told him repeatedly not to throw the football in the house. Being a five year old boy, he 'forgot' and tossed the football in the living room, hitting the clock and breaking it.

We had it repaired.

Another day and another toss of the football sent the clock crashing to the floor in dozens of pieces. So much so that it was impossible to put it back together again.

I was so upset that I sat down on the floor and wept. Five year old Israel stood beside me, tears streaming down his little boy face while watching his mama coming apart at the seams over a cuckoo clock. When I saw Israel standing there, I pulled myself together and gathered him in my arms. I cradled his head in my hands and said, "Mama is wrong to be so upset over this clock. It is just a THING. YOU are important. I'm so sorry to have reacted wrongly."

We both dried our tears and I swept up the clock pieces and put them in a box. We have moved many times since then, and somewhere along the line, the broken pieces were tossed.

I have thought back over this incident many times, remembering that anything I own on this earth IS just a THING. All of the THINGS someday will be burned up. The clock became just a nastalgic memory of the past.

When Kevin came carrying in that beautiful German cuckoo clock, my heart overflowed with joy AND another remembrance....from the Scripture....

Isiah 61:3....'beauty for ashes'.

I reviewed the context in which this phrase resides. God, speaking to Isaiah said, "The Spirit of the Lord, God is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, To GIVE THEM BEAUTY FOR ASHES, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Ahhhh.... God has also annointed Kevin and I to preach good tidings.....and to GIVE beauty for ashes.

In giving me the cuckoo clock, I felt like God had given me beauty for ashes (a new clock to replace the old one).....but really, what I am to get from this teaching is that I AM TO GIVE beauty for ashes. Oh--an, ah-ha moment for the Handmaiden of God.

Now, each time hear the cuckoo announce the hour I am reminded of the Lords' command, "Give beauty for ashes".........yes, behold I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be so to me, even as you have said!
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This being Saturday, Kevin, Sarah and I ventured forth to the local garage sales. Our very first one had gobs of baby clothes. Our daughter, Sarah is six months pregnant. She is having a boy in August. His name is Emmanuel. Today, God blessed us with a large carton full of baby boy clothes, blankets, socks, caps and undershirt onesies. The clothes are beautiful, hardly worn and clean. We also got a Fisher Price portable baby bed for me to use in the living room when Sarah is resting in the bedroom, where the larger crib is.

We feel rich. We ARE rich. God has so richly blessed us.

Sarah and I pulled each little garment out of the box and lovingly examined it, oohing and aahing, rejoicing in the bounty. Sarah sat back in the chair and sighing said, "I was so worried that Emmanuel would have nothing to wear.....now look!".

I was reminded of Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gatherin into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

God believes I am valuable. He takes care of the birds and He will take care of Emmanuel, too.

I am surrounded every day with these valuable reminders from my Father in Heaven. Dear God, let me hear You EACH time you speak to me through cuckoo clocks and baby clothes....or any other thing.......let me be one that has ears to hear and eyes to see.