Baby Steps: He crowns me with unfailing love and compassion.

March 13, 2013
We were discussing God’s love in Sunday School, and one of the ladies gave us all adorable bookmarks.  The bookmark I received was called “Abundance”.  I liked it but I really wanted the “Hope” bookmark which showed a girl looking in the mirror and not seeing her true self.  I went online and ordered my own set of the bookmarks. When it arrived, a few extras were included and “Abundance” was on top again.  
I’ve always struggled with verses in the Bible on submitting and recently heard a sermon on submitting that really unsettled me. He said one sentence that sent me reeling…. “For all she had to endure I have no doubt she will receive a crown of jewels in heaven”.  I thought, “I don’t even want the crown!”  
On the way to Sunday School I was reviewing the verses, sipping a mocha and smiling… until I got to the verse on submitting again and it all came back to me.  
I felt a tug and a deep whisper in my heart, “You have always had the crown. You were born with it!”
It was big.
So big, that when I walked into class I wanted to blurt it out to everyone:  “Hey, if you don’t realize it – You were born with the crown – God made you a princess! You are a princess and you have always been!” I didn’t say anything because I could barely open my mouth – I was too overwhelmed. 
Then, in a room of seven ladies – the one who had originally given us the bookmarks came in and handed me an 8 X 10 framed picture of Abundance!

I said quietly, “Did you bring this for me to see?”
She said, “No, I brought it to give to you…It is in it’s original wrapping and I put it in this gold frame for you.”
Amazed and in awe would be an understatement.  
As class started, I had tears welling up and felt like I was going to explode from the love fest. When the teacher asked me to read, it was the verse on submission!
I could hardly get the last words out as the tears began to fall. I took a sip of my coffee and choked loudly and left the room abruptly.
I went into the bathroom crying and smiling. I was smiling because I’ve always worried about what people thought of me and I could not imagine what the class was thinking about me crying and breaking down. Perhaps they thought my marriage was in trouble or I had issues with submitting?
While my marriage was not perfect and I was not the most submissive woman on the planet  – that was not it at all! 
It was simply that one verse resonated so deeply with my hurt and God gently returned me to that hurt today and poured His love and truth into my heart. He opened my eyes to His truth and crowned me with His unfailing love and compassion.   

 He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death.
He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king. Psalm 103:4 VOICE

This is post #23 in the Baby Steps series.  To start at the beginning, click here.