Lil' Lovelies

~ Mikeschair, My Lovely



I found these lil' lovelies at a thrift store at the bottom of a decrepit box bound by aged, yellowed masking tape. Labeled ".10 cents each," the worn cardboard overflowed with discarded spools of frayed yarn, mangled rainbows of thread, seamstress tools--some rusted, some broken--all attempting to escape.

Digging carefully to avoid needles, I discovered these adorable rulers hidden deep down. It was love at first sight! Immediately I started planning how to re-purpose them, and give them a fresh start.

As far as I was concerned, I'd struck gold!! But the ladies at the register saw my find differently. Throwing their heads back, they hooted and snorted, tickled I would pay money for "trash." My valuable find was so worthless to them they were willing to give me it for free! (I ended up paying .49 cents.)

I gave those ladies a good ol' fashioned "what for," and let them know they didn't have any vision and the problem wasn't the rulers, it was the hands that had used and abused them. No matter these rulers had been tossed out. Labeled as worthless. Forgotten about for years. Only to endure jeering and disdain. In my mind's eye, these sweet babies were better than new and I had big plans for them! They had finally landed in the right hands that would lovingly give them new life. Humph!

I couldn't wait to take my treasures home. Wash them off. Give them a new purpose. A place to display their beauty. Sure, they're chipped, worn, faded, and broken. But they've seen a lot of life. That's part of the reason I love them so. The marks they bear tell a story of character, depth, beauty.

Parts of us are like these dear lil' rulers, aren't they? Hearts that have been tossed out, beat up, broken down by circumstances, people, events. We sit at the bottom of a crumbling pit, surrounded by a whole lotta junk, feeling worthless, ugly, looked down upon, dumb, without purpose.

There is Someone who sees us. Really sees. Beyond the hurt, broken, despair, worn. He sees a rare and beautiful treasure. And no matter what others think, He fights for us and is passionate, not ashamed, to pull us out of the junk. He's already paid the price to take us home and brush us off. He has a vision and plan to give new life where the old is no longer feasible. And He knows the scars, hurts and pains that have broken us, have equally made us beautiful and given our stories depth that display His glory. And that, my friends, in the right hands...His hands...is lovely.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

They will be...a...display of his splendor. ~Isaiah 61