Dilly

This is Dilly the duck.  She is the beloved rag of my daughter Anna.

Dilly used to be perfect and plush, but the longer she was "alive", the more beat-up she became.  She was dirty, smelly, riddled with holes and just pathetic to look at.  Dilly was so depleted of stuffing that she couldn't even hold her head up.

I tried to cover her up with yarn and a dress, but those measures weren't enough.  Dilly was going to disintegrate and soon.

But what to do?  Dilly was BELOVED and Anna's heart would break if Dilly couldn't be saved.

BUT... there was a perfect duck sitting on a shelf.  And this perfect duck was not too proud to give its skin for Dilly.

And so the operation began.  Here is Dilly in her hospital bed!  It took six hours of careful stitching.   Amazingly, Dilly still looked like Dilly.  She was full and whole again and Anna was very pleased indeed!

As I was doing the surgery, I couldn't get away from how this was a picture for my daughter of the salvation story.  In our sin, nothing could save us.  The dress of the law couldn't get to ugliness underneath.  And we were so beloved that something had to be done and was!

"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness."  Isaiah 61:10

Need God

My sister went to a website called Wordle which will take the words most used in your blog and make an image of them.  She was so moved (and so was I) to find that the words NEED GOD were dominant.

It has been very hard on Amanda and Craig to watch their little daughter Sophie endure so many surgeries.  It has been excruciating for them to be the ones inflicting pain through daily injections and cleaning of wounds.  And yet they have an awareness of God and His mercies through the very need of Him.

The problem of pain and suffering and evil conflicts many people about the goodness of God.  And yet, Christians' testimonies through the ages have always proclaimed that they would rather suffer with Him and see His provision then live halcyon days with little awareness of His presence.  Our hurts can be a severe mercy from the heart of a God who also suffered so that He could be near to us.

Joy cometh!