All things pink--and brown!

5:09 p.m. Today's project was to go to Orange County to attend a family baby shower for our niece. Newcomer Ruby Elizabeth will join her older sisters and parents Aron and Tiffany in December.

I was so grateful that Heidi drove the two of us down to Placentia, because I had not slept well at all last night. Steve had Men's Bible study at 8:00 this morning, meaning that we had to get up by 5:45 if we wanted to have our morning devotional routine, feed our grandsons breakfast and get to church on time. God was good, giving Adrian, Xavier and me lots to do while we waited for Steve's study to be over, and blessing us later with a yummy brunch at Denny's for Xavier's birthday.

Steve's side of the family was well represented and we had a ball catching up! I had been bemused by the pink and brown nursery colors chosen, but once I went to Babies 'R Us to get a few gifts, I saw that the shades coordinated beautifully!

Coordinating shades of color, personality, lifestyle, income, age, wellness, elation, and even sorrow are gifts from God. Where one of us is loud and silly, another is mellow, one intensely driven, another timid and fearful, yet another bold. Most of these women I have known and loved for many years, but I cannot claim that I've consistently seen eye to eye with any of them, even though we are all believers!

Is this a negative? Not at all! As Ron Wiseman teaches about married couples, we NEED our opposites to help us to walk with the Lord! When the enemy comes to attack the fearful, the bold sister or brother says, "Get behind us, Satan, in the name of Jesus!" One believer becomes ill, so the fit brother helps and lifts them up, mentally and physically. When one child of God despairs, another with the gift of faith is there to pray, encourage and strengthen them.

Think of a bag of M&M' s. As a girl, I would line them up by color, saving my favorite, light brown, for last. Do any of the candies taste better? Of course not--they are all delicious. So it is with God's people! All have personalities, gifts, and ministries--and all are to be respected and loved for themselves, as they are! When God calls an individual to growth and change, He knows how to get it done! It's not our job--the Holy Spirit is present to speak, lead and guide.

Romans 12:6 says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them..."

I definitely prefer a brilliantly multicolored handful of M&M's to a handful of grey mush!