There are two jars of black eyed peas that are sitting on my kitchen counter these days.
One quotes Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” This is the jar full of love we have yet to show.
The other quotes Jesus himself, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these you did for me.” This jar houses a pea for every act of love that has been done during Lent.
Every time one of the children shows love by serving someone else, they put a pea from the first jar into the second. We will make some lovely black eyed peas on Good Friday, and hopefully see a pot full of love before us.
The lesson I hope my children awaken to is the same one that God often has to reteach me:
Everything I do is really for Him, about Him, and to Him.
This life I live is a bunch of peas in a jar.
Our church is a bunch of jars, pooling our peas so that the neighborhood, the city, and the world will know His love.
All the churches in all the cities of the world have more jars of love in them than I can fathom. I get chills when I think of all we could do for Jesus.
We could go for broke. People would think we were the ones loving them, serving them, encouraging them. They would be wrong.
Jesus is both our target and our source of love.
It’s all for Him and it’s all from Him, or all it’s all just a pot of peas.
Everyone gets tired of peas after a while; but who could ever tire of Jesus, eternal savior, holy Lord, magnificently risen in glory?
Not this girl. I’m completely smitten and ready to pour out my life for Him. Are you?
