Knowing Jesus

One might expect, on a walk at the park, to see the remains of a picnic, plastic cups, mustard packets, the crust of a sandwich. Or loose change, random slips of paper, a forgotten ball. I would not have imagined curly, sleek, shiny ribbons, but I found many of them. Sometimes they were tied to benches hanging low with a deflating balloon, or lost in the grass, caught up in a bush. Once I saw one strung playfully over a fence.  

Never simply litter or debris, ribbons are sparkling announcements of a good thing, freely given. Thoughts of people celebrating, smiling and bearing gifts came to mind, but mostly the lingering ribbons reminded me of the glorious gift I have in Jesus. Remember, as you walk in the trees and delight in the birds and reflect on the pond, as you swing on the swing and sit on the bench, consider the gift of Jesus. 

One day, when my middle son was a toddling towhead, my husband rolled a ball to him in the yard. Luke’s big green eyes fixed on the ball which zoomed by too fast. He turned to follow it but something else caught his attention. A strand of ribbon glistening on the lawn. Luke abandoned the ball and made a beeline for the ribbon. His chubby hand pulled the shimmering prize from the grass and held it high for all to see. 

A part of the soul knows Jesus and sees Him in the midst of the mundane. That is the part to treasure. To know Jesus is to treasure Him and hold Him high for all to see.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you know the gift of God, and who it is  who says  to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10