Fool's Gold

Who has believed our message 
   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, 
   and like a root out of dry ground. 
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, 
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 

He was despised and rejected by mankind, 
   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. 
Like one from whom people hide their faces 
   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:1-3

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 53-55; 2 Thessalonians 1

Oftentimes greatness doesn’t come in a nice and neat package, though we would like it too.

We may see a beautiful woman or a distinguished looking guy and feel that there is something special about them. Or we might look at a beautiful car and compare it to the economy bucket that we are driving and think about how nice it must be to live like that. How nice must it be to be that person who looks a certain way, has a certain job, or appears to have everything all perfectly put together with their house and picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog?

But in reality not everything that glitters is gold. Many times the best things that can happen in our lives are like diamonds in the rough. They may not look pretty to the naked eye, but when you dig deep and look past the surface, there is something amazingly wonderful there.

I wonder if you have any diamonds in the rough in your life. Maybe this job that you hate is a blessing in disguise. Maybe the parent that gets on your nerves has life lessons to teach you if only you’d listen to them. Maybe that car that you are driving isn’t the most stylish thing around, but it is paid for… and allows you to save or invest you money in ways that will benefit your future.

Instead of looking at what everyone else has, take the time to be present; and enjoy the blessings that you do have.

Take nothing for granted. All that is given can also disappear before your very eyes.