girls group faith

Mercies in disguise

what is mercy

Mercy (properly חֶסֶד, che’sed, kindness; ἔλεος, pity), a virtue which inspires us with compassion for others, and inclines us to assist them in their necessities

mercy is the feeling of compassion for someone and taking action

what is mercy in disguise

example

John 9:1-11 Jesus heals a man born blind

why was the man born blind John 9:3, so that the glory of the Lord may be shown

the man was born blind or suffered not because of sin or because of someone else's sin but he suffered so that Gods glory could shine through his suffering

Jeremiah 29:11 God says that he knows the plans of Israel and that those plans are to prosper them and not to harm them and that give them a hope and a future.

what are those plans

those plans are that the people will be destroyed and exiled taken away from their land because of their sin but because of that they will realize their need for God and it will lead them to repentance and when they repent God will welcome them back home.

Kintsugi

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold

the artist takes a piece of art or mainly pottery that has been broken either intentionally or unintentionally and he puts it back together with gold. the resulting pot is not only restored to its former glory but it is now even more beautiful and what would have once made the pot worthless is now the source of its beauty

Application

John 9:1-11, when you face trials remember the big picture that struggle that you have now or that you may have had your whole life could be because God wants to use it to show you and those around you His glory

Jeremiah 29:11, all the times you think you have been abandoned by God when you feel like you are far from him and like the Israelites felt far from the temple God is waiting for you to cry out to him

Kintsugi is such a beautiful representation of what God does with us every time we fail or fall he picks us up dust us off and doesn't just put us back the way we were but he puts us back together with gold with his spirit and his glory taking what was once typical and then was broken and making it beautiful.

Hebrews 12:4-13,

the Lord disciplines those he loves

without discipline we would remain broken

use the discipline and the hard times in your life to prepare yourself for your walk