With This Ring Part II...

I am so excited to share this particular story with you. I waited to share it with you because I was going to speak at a Women's Tea and I was going to use it in my talk as an illustration and didn't want to give it away before I spoke. However, I didn't have the time to add it in to my talk, so here is the story. It is part two to our wedding ring story and I believe, it deserves special attention, because it displays God's perfect love. Even when it is something that we don't need, but want, Jesus cares. He loves us, just like we love our kids. We want them to have what they desire, sometimes they get it and sometime they don't, depending on the situation. However, Jesus cares more than we can fathom.

You all remember that we sold our wedding rings and ALL other jewelry that was worth something. I even sold my moms jewelry. I told you that this was not with out great grief. I told you I loved my rings and what they meant to me, and my moms things and what they meant to me. A couple of days after the whole thing happened at about 1 am. I was set in a panic! Terrible grief came over me. I couldn't believe that I sold one specific piece that was my moms and that brought sweet memories to mind when I saw it and wore it. Of all her jewelry, this one was the MOST special. She bought it over seas and when I wore it, it was like looking at my moms hands.

I began to cry, almost sob thinking that I would never retrieve this again. Nothing would bring this back. How silly I was to sell this. It was not because it was worth a lot, it was because it was simply my moms. It is sort of like the white board I still have that we used to communicate with mom when she could no longer speak. I still have it in the same place, simply because it was hers. I laid there thinking that I wasn't ready to rid myself of ALL of her special things, it was like she died all over again.

I know that it may seem silly to most of you, however, it is something that was so important to me. Bryan happened to wake up that night hearing me cry and asked what was wrong. I told him how I felt. He told me to spend time in prayer and it was after only a possession. He was right, my mind knew that, but my heart really hurt.

The next morning I did pray. I looked up giving & sacrifice. I had come to the conclusion that it was just a possession, and the the Lord would heal the hurt I felt from the loss. Later Bryan called and asked me how I felt I told him my resolve, but through tears. Bryan had to get off the phone, and told me he would call me later.

About a half an hour later Bryan called me from the jewelers. He decided to go ask for the ring back, and told me that we were going to hold on to this one, pray about it, and then make a decision. I was embarrassed and told Bry to just leave, not to ask this guy for any more. Bryan told the jeweler it was my mom's and that she died a year ago and that if he could find it, Bryan would "buy it back". They looked and looked and could not find it. I told Bry, that the jeweler put it in a separate bag, with other jewelry like it. The jeweler found it, it had been misplaced!!

When Bryan called me back, he was in tears, weeping pretty hard on the phone. He told me "it's not for sale, the jeweler won't let me buy it back". I knew at that point that it was not meant to be and told Bryan so. He said, "hold on, it is not for sale, IT IS FOR FREE"!! The jeweler was so...touched by what we were doing he began to sob in the middle of his store. He said to Bryan,"after all you are doing for these kids, you can't buy this back, you can just take it at no charge". Then because he was crying so hard, (him and Bryan both) he asked Bryan to leave (nicely).

If that were all the story, that would be great, but wait, there is more!

When Bry called to tell me the news of my mothers ring, there was something he left out before. While they were searching for the ring, ALL of the other rings were already taken apart. My wedding rings were just an empty shell, all of the other rings and necklaces with diamonds, or sapphires were just empty. They had already harvested the diamonds from them. My moms ring was misplaced, and therefore UNTOUCHED!! What a praise!

Hold on it gets better!! God is so...good!!

Later Bry called me to ask me how I felt. I told him that I felt like Abraham and Isaac. Not that my silly little possession even came close to the sacrifice Abraham was called to. But because, I was obedient and the Lord gave the sacrifice back, He provided a way. A couple of hours later a friend called. She had NO idea of what just happened, but she called to tell me that she felt the Lord gave her some scripture and a word for me. This is what she said, "I am always reluctant to share something that I think is from God, just in case it is not. I don't want to misrepresent Christ. But I will tell you anyway. As I was praying for you this morning, the Lord lead me to the story of Abraham and Isaac. I felt as Jesus wanted me to tell you this. "Sometimes I will ask you Andrea to give a sacrifice, that I don't intend on giving back, it will fully cost. BUT sometimes I will ask you to sacrifice something and I will return it to you, and even more restored"!!!

Can you believe that?? I can, but still can't!! This was FULL CIRCLE. Not only did he return my mom's ring to me, not only was the jeweler blessed, not only were we blessed, BUT He confirmed it to me as well. That is such AMAZING LOVE!! God cares about the little things, HE CARES!!

I never had any idea that this would happen. I have mourned the loss of the other things, I am human. I don't think that Jesus does not expect that. However, I do believe, just like Abraham, sometimes He has called us to obedience and He fully intends to bless us with offering us more!

Praise you Jesus!! May we live like Him!!