This past weekend hubby and I worked out in the forest digging up invasive Himalayan blackberries. Winter is the best time to do such a thing because the forest has gone to sleep. All the groundcover plants have died back to nothing, and all the deciduous plants have lost their leaves … thereby making it much easier to spot the invasive Himalayan blackberries blending in amongst the forest.
As hubby and I were hard at work, each with our own shovels, I kept coming across Blackcap Raspberry vines amongst the tangled overgrowth.
Blackcap Raspberries are a native plant. They are a good plant. This is truth.
I felt very empowered knowing the truth!
A few years back, I did not know the truth. This was back before hubby and I had taken our forestry class. Before I knew the truth, I automatically assumed any plant with stickers and prickles was bad. And I aggressively worked to dig every last one up.
But now … now I know the truth.
Now I can spot the truth without even trying. The truth stands out boldly as the truth … even when mixed in amongst the tangled overgrowth. Blackcap Raspberries have a very distinctive pale blueish-green stem. Also, the prickles along the Blackcap Raspberry stem are distinctive to the plant. This is the truth.
The truth is that Blackcap Raspberries are absolutely delicious!
The truth is that both myself and the deer love Blackcap Raspberries!
Knowing the truth changed my behavior! Instead of aggressively digging up the Blackcap Raspberry vines and tossing them in the yard waste bin, I gently dug up each discovery … and transplanted each one over in a different part of the forest where it could thrive.
As the sun shone through the forest, highlighting each little Blackcap Raspberry transplant, I couldn’t help but take a photo to share with you.
Today’s blog topic is: Love rejoices with the truth.
As I gently dug up and transplanted each little Blackcap Raspberry find, I rejoiced with the truth. I rejoiced that I knew the truth: these are native plants … and they are good! And I rejoiced in the action I could take by knowing the truth. (meaning: by transplanting all the little Blackcap Raspberry finds, hopefully it will result in lots of delicious Blackcap Raspberries for myself and hubby!)
In writing to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul instructs them: “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” – 1 Corinthians 13:6
There is evil in our world. There is evil and suffering because of sin.
Two blog posts ago I shared about a “Spoonful of Comfort” care package which showed up on my front porch.
In writing about the care package, I shared how love comforts hearts which have been crushed by evil.
As I opened this beautiful gift of love from my very dear friend, I discovered that the two containers of soup had been packed inside a silver foil insulation sleeve, with a Nordic Ice Gel-Ice pack.
Pulling out the Nordic Ice Gel-Ice pack, a lot of emotions were stirred up in me! I have quite a collection of these Nordic Ice Gel-Ice packs in my freezer. Nordic Ice Gel-Ice packs which have come in boxes just like this one here … which have been showing up each month on my front porch.
Boxes which are boldly labeled: “RUSH! … Perishable.” Boxes which have inside them a white syrophome cooler … containing a very expensive medication.
Every time one of these boxes arrives on my front porch it feels like a miracle from God! Priceless medication which allows someone whom I love very much to be able to have a normal functioning life. Without modern medication I am convinced I would have lost this very precious someone whom I love very much.
And each month, the arrival of this box is only after an extensive battle with insurance for them to cover the cost of the medication. Every month it’s a battle. And every month, the arrival of the medication is a huge answer to prayer! A huge answer to prayer!
Truth … God does not delight in evil.
Truth … because of sin, there is sickness and suffering in this world.
Truth … God is with us in our trials and sufferings. This is truth.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
Truth … God comforts us in our trials and sufferings. “The God of all comfort, comforts us in all our troubles.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Truth … God does not cause evil. God does not bring evil into our lives. Evil is a result of sin.
Truth … God can use the evil to bring about something good.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” – Genesis 50:20
What the enemy means for evil … God can turn it for good. This is truth.
In the blog post about the “Spoonful of Comfort” care package which my dear friend sent to me, I shared how intentional thought and creativity had been put into the design of every element of the package.
I shared how each box within the care package had its own unique color theme and design.
The boxes were not only designed to delight the receiver (me!) when they were first opened … but they were intentionally designed to be able to turn inside-out and re-used! How cool is that!
Here you can see the three boxes upon arrival … each one containing a delicious comfort-food item.
Here you can see the three boxes once they have been turned inside-out. Aren’t they adorable! They are the very same three boxes.
I am so delighted! I can either choose to keep them myself and enjoy their beauty … or I can choose to re-gift them to someone else as I share love with someone else.
This right here is what it looks like for love to rejoice with the truth.
By rejoicing in the truth, we can turn a hard situation “inside-out” (so to speak) and see the beauty of what God is doing through it all.
As we rejoice in the truth – of the goodness and faithfulness of God! – we can see the beauty of the “inside-out.” Just like I can set up the inside-out boxes and enjoy their beauty myself, so also in the same way, we can set up the “inside-out” beauty (from our trials) as a witness and a testimony for ourselves of God’s goodness and faithfulness to us!
As we rejoice in the truth – that God loves us and is with us! – we can see the beauty of the “inside-out.” Just like I can re-gift the beautiful boxes to someone else and share love with them, so also in the same way, we can share the beauty of our own “inside-out” with others as we love them and are there for them!
Love rejoices with the truth.
Love rejoices that God is faithful and good!
Love rejoices that God is completely trustworthy!
Love rejoices that God will be with us and will help us!
Love rejoices in sharing the truth with others!
Love rejoices in sharing the beauty of our own “inside-out” with others!
“The God of all comfort comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Love rejoices with the truth.
