The Unclaimed Gift: With Age Comes Wisdom

Isaiah 53:2 "....He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. "

One of my devotional books is a study of some of the "bad" girls of the Bible. I am amazed that I never learned the stories of these ladies of the Lord. Each one, even the unnamed, is a unique lesson in some way. From their beautiful names to their tragic circumstances, I can see so much I missed by not knowing the stories of their lives. The Lord has placed them in the scriptures for a reason. Overlooked and in many cases misunderstood, they each provide a glorious moment in the Book of Life. Because of my painful past, I am often drawn to the unloved, the unwanted, even the sinful natures. When I delve into their lives, I see how the Lord used them, even in their brokenness, to further His kingdom here on earth. Some of them were perceived as ugly and scarred, useless to the world. Yet to God, they were just what He needed. He gave them what they needed to succeed when others failed. He knew what was in their hearts, not what was on the surface. They stood with bowed heads, off to the side of society, cast off, discarded. But in the end, they had what was needed to fulfill God's purposes.

As I sat in my garden recently, I noticed a flurry of activity around my dead and dying sunflowers. Birds of all sizes and shapes played and scurried about. I wondered if I had spilled some food when I last filled the feeders. Upon closer inspection, I noticed an amazing site. What had seemed like a tattered and straggly stalk and leaf was a table of plenty for all manner of hungry insects. The bowed and ugly head of the sunflower held a bountiful feast for my feathered friends. This flower, which had given me such joy when she was beautiful, was now worth even more in her old age. Her beauty had provided a joy for the eyes but her age had provided a feast for the body. And now, her lesson was food for my soul.

Dearest Father God, Let me not judge another by look or age. Let me remember that with age comes wisdom. Let me look past the broken outside and see the food for my heart that she offers me. Let me remember that there is worth in all of God's children. Let me not put aside the older sisters in Christ. When their beauty is faded and their outside grows withered and tired, let me give them a place to r
est. Let me help them live out their time on earth sharing their wisdom. Let me remind the young that the aged have a gift that can't be bought. It must be shared. But it can't be shared unless you sit at the feet of the flower and let the seeds of wisdom fall into your soul. Let me teach my daughters that your whole life should be lived so that you can share your gifts with those who come along behind you. In the Name of Christ I pray, Amen

©Michelle Welch, team member of team member of Breath of Life Women's Ministries