"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." (vv. 3-9, NASB)
I was blessed this weekend by the reminder that my "comfort", so to speak, is not God's primary concern for me. Obviously, I knew that, but it was good to be reminded that He is so much more interested in the genuineness of my faith. He wants it to be robust; able to stand the twists and turns that life will inevitably send my way. I, a great fan of comfort, need desperately to be reminded of this from time to time. I need to remember that all of this is temporary. It's only a shadow of the reality to come. *Shameless borrowing from C.S. Lewis* Anyway, those were a few of the many thoughts that raced through my pointy little head this weekend. Thanks for bearing with me.
Abrupt change of subject. This last week I made a fruit pizza for my D-group, who set upon it like ravening wolves. That, however, is not what I wanted to tell you. It turned out kind of pretty, and it made my eyes happy. So, since I have no offspring about which to post, I shall post a picture of my fruit pizza in all its glory.
Well, there you have it - the fruit of my labor. Literally.
Blessings on your week!!
16 comments:
Hope the cardiac issues stay away. As far as fruit pizza's go, I believe I can safely report that this one is just about the best that I've seen.
Very beautiful fruit pizza!!! I wouldn't have wanted to cut it!!
Julie
I am also a great fan of comfort. I, too, have been reminding myself often these days of your exact point: God's primary concern is not my comfort. Where did we get the idea that our lives could/would be void of suffering? Not in the Biblia, for sure and for certain!
Anyway, I am abundantly glad that you didn't end up in a cardiac crisis! And the fruit pizza was Kodak worthy, and looks quite scrumptious!
Glad you're feeling better and I am a little jealous of your D-Group! The pizza looks awesome.
That very subject, God not being concerned about our comfort, was in my Elisabeth Elliott devotional this morning! Wonderful faith-building thougths! Thanks!
I have to say, that pizza looks gorgeous! It really makes my mouth water!
So thankful things turned out OK in the health department! We were praying for you and thinking about you as we missed you this weekend!
So sorry!
Makes me think of the Steve Green song "Open our Eyes"...to reality, to the promise and glory to come!
And that pizza does you proud...and does not surprise me in it's exactness:) Love Ya!
I pray your cardiac scare is over. Thank God for his reassuring comfort.
And...I do believe we have a Martha Stuart among us. What a beautiful work of art!
Wow what a pretty pizza! Yum! Love those things!
So sorry you had such a scare... It's nice to read though that you are being blessed by Scripture instead of overtaken by worry.
I would love to know how to make the pizza...it looks soooo yummy and pretty. My friend and I were looking at it and oooohing and ahhhhing!
The pizza recipe can be found at www.allrecipes.com. It's the one that just uses cream cheese and marshmellow cream for the pizza topping. It is incredibly easy, and you can get creative with the fruit. The secret is to start at the outside edge with the fruit and work inward. It's actually pretty fun!
Did your friends have a problem with compared to ravenous wolves?
I don't think most of them read my blog. ;) Anyway, it's a compliment to the chef when one eats heartily, and my girls always make me feel complimented!
Really great post...I am so sorry, though, to hear you had cardiac issues. You are so valiant and inspiring...both with how you handle adversity, and your open spirit with which you share the lessons God is teaching you. I just wish so bad I could take it all away from you. You inspire me..thanks so much for sharing.
That truly is the most beautiful fruit pizza I've seen all day! :>) No, really - it's gorgeous! I need to make a dessert for an occasion - you have inspired me!
Sorry about the physical yuckies. You are a great example of grace through difficult things.
Also, thanks so much for your perspective-filled comment on my blog. I write to help myself think through things (not b/c of profound and amazing thoughts) and really enjoy it when people add to/respond. I was actually hoping you would comment with some of your timely wisdom . . . :>)
Must go and check into what is needed to make a fruit pizza . . .
With great admiration,
Lizzy
Girl, I love you! You make me think, laugh and cry all at once! See- here we are on the same campus and I had no clue your heart was acting up NOR did I know about the gorgeous, scrumptious-looking fruit pizza! Exactly how many hours did you "labor" over it?
I have some children to show for my hours of "labor" but they didn't look as good as that pizza after delivery!!! You're incredible!
Just want you to know, friend, you were missed last weekend!!! But am so glad your cardiac scare is over!!!
I will join in hearty amens to the previous "ohhhs and ahhhs" over your fruit pizza!!!! Beautiful job!!
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