TROPHIES

Being a complete and total athletic klutz, I never participated in sports and never won any trophies. My husband, on the other hand, was the consummate athlete and won LOTS of trophies. Then he started bass fishing. OMGoodness! You would not believe the number or size of trophies he acquired in your wildest imagination. I hated dusting them! After a good many years he started just taking the engraved plates off the bottom of the trophies and having them mounted on a plaque. Ultimately, we took all the plates off the plaques for me to make a scrapbook of his fishing years with its many accomplishments. Those of you who truly know me will have no difficulty believing that these plaques are still sitting in a box awaiting this "project" to be even begun by the President Emeritus of Procrastinator's Anonymous - me! But that's a story for another day.

Yesterday I read a comment in a devotional that got me started thinking about trophies. The author said that "Often today when the Lord's people are afflicted, it's because God wants to exhibit them as outstanding trophies of His grace before the world and Satan."

WOW!

That really makes me want to handle the adversity in my life in a way that brings honor and glory to God. What about you?

Ezekiel 36:23 has long been a special verse to me - "the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes."

Our lives and the way we respond to the events that affect our lives may be the only glimpse of God some people have. Will they see a trophy of His grace? Will they see a life that is set apart for HIS use? Will they see a person who LIVES what they say they believe? Will they see the Spirit of the living God shining even through tears? Will they see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?