Ziploc Bags

Mark 9:24 – The father at once cried out, "I do have faith, but not enough. Help me have more!" (GNB)

With spring approaching, I decided to wash our winter coats. It is not unusual for me to leave items in the pockets by accident. That's why I had my husband check his coat pockets and empty them. When the washing machine stopped, I opened the lid and removed the coats. I found a Ziploc bag at the bottom of the washing machine. It was filled with sunflower seeds. I presented the bag to my husband and said, "You can forget about these." My husband opened the bag and remarked, "These are dry. Ziploc bags really work."

It appears that the contents of the Ziploc bag survived under the worst conditions. This surprises me because I have never put a Ziploc bag to that kind of test before.

I thought about what I had learned while doing laundry. It reminds me of our Christian faith. When we put our faith to the test under some unusual conditions we learn to trust God more. Perhaps we are going through a personal crisis and we decide to reach out to God. We put God to the test. Somehow God reaches out and takes us by the hand. He protects us, just like a Ziploc bag protects sunflower seeds.

Our friends may cry, "You can forget about her. She does not have a strong faith." To our surprise, and to the surprise of everyone else, we come out standing on our own feet. Our eyes are dry, although we may have shed many tears in the process. We remember reaching out to God. We know that it was God who came to our rescue. We can trust God to help us. Our faith is now stronger.

Prayer: Lord, we have faith but not enough. Help us to have more faith. Thank you for being ready to come to our aid when we reach out for help. Thank you for being trustworthy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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