Devotions

This is the beginning of a short twelve-part devotional series based on some object poems I have written.

The things on my shelves

are there for a reason.

I look at them and remember

special times and people.

A colorful oil lamp from my neighbor.

 A gravy boat from the church

I went to as a child.

An antique metal pitcher from a dear aunt.

Two pink and blue vases

from when the kids were born.

A ceramic mountain man I made my dad.

A glass clock from my mom.

A ruby red decanter from my sister.

A wooden cross my husband

brought into our marriage,

a symbol of Who binds us together.

The whole lot of them

aren’t worth much materially,

but they mean a lot to me.

Will they to someone hereafter?

The Stuff of Life

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The Bible often uses objects as illustrations, symbols or reminders to His people. Jesus referred to Himself as bread, light and a cornerstone. The Bible is described as a sword, milk and seed. God instructed the prophet Jeremiah to hide a loincloth, aka underwear, in a crevice of a rock to warn the Israelites that because of their sin, He would ruin them and expose their nakedness, their idolatries and prostitution. And often the Bible says to consider the sun, moon, and stars to remind us of who created them and us.

As I look around my house I have many photos, knick-knacks, and memorabilia. Some of my rooms would be described as cluttered. But each of the items on my shelves and walls remind me of something as my poem above describes, seasons of my life that God played a part in, though I may not have been aware of at the time. And most of them remind me of people who are dear to me. Maybe they are something someone gave me or simple reminders of them for some reason.

Sometimes I wonder what will happen to my things after I die. Will my kids have any clue as to why I have kept them. A lot of them may end up at a thrift store or in the trash. But till then they hold a special place in my heart, triggering memories of special times and people that have become part of me.

Look around at your shelves and walls. We place things around us for a reason. We may be too materialistic, true, but God can use them to speak to us as He did many times in the Bible.

Prayer: Lord, Please, use these devotions to speak to readers’ hearts and encourage them in their walk with You. Thank You for the things on our walls and shelves, which can be symbols of how You have moved in our lives.

Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 13:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-10