I want to get my sister Rose something nice to take with her on a great adventure that God has called her to.
I haven't figured out what Im getting her yet
I know how much God used several ICC Interns in my life, and I remember how much I treasured every word or small token they gave to me.
I believe God will use Rose like
He used Queen Helen, or Strider in my life.
I want to send her off with something she can make for those students.
Something that will always remind them of the way God used her in their lives.
do you have any ideas?
I make these bracelets for my sisters
They are a monument to our relationship. A memorial to the truth and context of our love.
...
I have this against purity rings, they can be taken off, easily.
I appreciate the symbolism of making a public and present monument to a covenant with God, but there is something not quite right if it can be hidden or lost.
I wear around my neck a line of 320lb break weight para-cord necklace tied in an inter woven monkeys fist around a steel ball bearing. There is only the one knot, and it can no be untied or removed. I tied it just tight enough that I can't ever take it off without cutting something, and I fused the ends down into the knot. This thing is seriously tougher than the gordian knot. If good old Alexander the great tried to slice this knot in half he would end up breaking his sword on the steel core without even causing critical failure of the knot.
My bracelets for my sisters are like this purity knot.
But not quite the same. Instead of weaving a single knot from the ends of the rope I tie the knot from the middle to symbolize the love of Christ in us that we both share.
Instead of the two individuals becoming one, it is the one love of Christ for His church becoming one through our love for one another.
The two remaining ends are joined in slip knots around the other string
symbolizing both parties holding to each other like Romans12:10.
because they are slip knots the tighter the tension between them, the tighter the bond holding them together.
The bracelets are made of pink masons line.
The masons line symbolizes an ongoing work
the work of growing closer to God.
The pink symbolizes the perfection of God's love covered by the blood of Jesus Christ who has paid the debt of our sins and given us the strength to love each other as we should.
The knot I wear around my beck no longer has an end. It is one continuous loop around my neck.
The bracelets do have an end.
Unlike my relationship with my wife, which is until death at very earliest (when I mentioned earlier that my necklace can't be removed without something being cut I was speaking of the para cord, and my neck.) my relationship with my sisters will likely come to an end. "For this reason a man must leave his family and cling to his wife.” [Genesis 2:24] It is among my deepest prayers that God will not require I leave their lives entirely, but the relationship will change, growing closer at times, more distant at others. It is because of this that the bracelets are a broken circle. The slip knots allow for movement. The ties can both be untied altogether aswell...
I love my sisters very much, by now you should know that, but the relationship I am blessed to have with them now will not last forever. It is a blessing for this time. And tho the fruit of these relationships will continue to bless me throughout the rest of my life to my very death bed, the vines are in the valleys, and God has called me to conquer mountains. He will call me away from this bliss tho it breaks my heart to think of it now.
So now you know a little more of what my sisters mean to me, and what the bracelets we wear mean. I should probably say that none of these girls are related to me by any other blood than Christ's. They are sisters to me as we are both God's children, and as He gives me a portion of His infinite love to share with them. I do love them very much, and I treasure them among my greatest and most undeserved blessings.
I jump at every chance to bless them.
And that brings me back to blessing Rose and not knowing the best way to do that.
I am somewhat protective of the symbolism in the bracelets, and while I pray often that God will bring richous and loving philial relationships into their lives, and I would be happy if they chose to pass on the blessing of the bracelets to those siblings; I don't want the symbolism of the bracelets to be watered down.
I want to send Rose off with a token that reflects her and reminds those she passes them off the ways God worked through all that He has made her to impact their lives.
I love her dearly, and I know her, I think better than anyone else I know, or have known... Yet somehow the only thing I can think of that is her art- that is, the most perfect overflow of her spirit, is worship. She loves God so much.
Glorifying Him is the most natural thing for her to do.
I want my gift for her to give to reflect the way she constantly worships God.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Those of you who know my sisters probably know who I'm talking about, but if you want to be sure just ask.
Please be pondering this with me, and pray about it.
I firmly believe that God will bless many people through my sister HannahM. I am determined to do my very best to make that blessing as lasting and as special as she is to me.
-Ad augusta per angusta-
