A SHELTER FOR MANY

It is my nature to be accommodating.  I would like to make people feel comfortable with me.  It gives me pressure to have guests because I would like to give more than I can just to entertain them.  And I feel disappointment if I feel that I am not able to do so.

Last Sunday, December 8, 2013 was our Family Sunday in the church.  As always, we had an invited speaker. And as the occasion calls for, he would be speaking about the family.

When his turn to speak came, he started with giving prophecy to families through the painting of his wife.  Yes, his wife paints and the painting has a prophetic meaning.  Prior to the giving of painting, the speaker asked about my family.  I told him some of my family members were not around.

They had to give three paintings.  The first went to our lay leader's family. The said family was asked how do they understand the painting.   I was expecting to be called and since only two of us in the family were present that Sunday made me feel uncomfortable.

But I was not called after our lay leader instead another family was given the painting. While the second family was listening to the prophetic meaning of the painting ready by the painter herself, the third painting was visible to me.  I love the painting but was not ready to receive it. I think everybody was expecting that our family will be called the first but was not called the next.  So, I was relieved and thought that no painting will be given to me.

But I was wrong.  I was called.  And I was happy to accept the painting that I instantly fell in love with.

The Painting I love

Just as the other two families were asked what do they think of the painting, I said mine.  I told the speaker and his wife that the color green that is predominant in the painting is my favorite.  It symbolized hope and life.  And every family needs hope for it faces different challenges.  The fruits of the trees symbolized the calling to every family, that is, to bear fruit not just biologically but spiritually and other forms of growth. I said to them that although I have many children, I keep on considering more children especially in youth of the church.

The Prophetic Meaning I Claim

Our deaconess (woman church worker) could not agree more and was in tears when she was hearing the prophecy to me.  She said to herself, "He is really the prophecy,"  She shared this when we were talking with each other after the service.

I was so grateful to the giver of the painting.  Not only the painting is beautiful, but also meaningful.  After all, I was not wrong to be helpful and accommodating to other people, to less fortunate people.  To others, I was too kind to a fault.  But the prophecy tells me otherwise.

They say that "A picture/painting speaks of a thousand words." I say that a prophecy fulfills itself even after a thousand years:)