As I said in an earlier post I’ve been editing here at The White Stone today. I did not mean to edit this long.

Well, sometimes edits do not go as one intended. One should not convert a published post to a draft — that necessitates a re-publish. So here we are. (For the third time )

Brittle Star (again) Sometime in 2013 I think

IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2010 

Brittle Star

Our Guide at the Sea, Sand, and Stars, situated in Orange Beach, Alabama acquainted us with many creatures, including a Brittle Star.  To certain second graders, it looked like a small octopus.

Truth be told, only one thing about my field trip with Issy made me sad – really, really sad.  Hearing about fins and tails and shapes of sea creatures and how each one works so perfectly in harmony to enable them to swim, find food, and escape predators just did me good – I loved it!  And I suspect you are not surprised that as I listened I thought of The Father.  I thought about how smart He is.  I thought how AWESOME He is.  I thought how ingenious He is.  I thought how fun He is!  And then I grieved that those precious children with minds like sponges soaking up all that important information about fish and seahorses and Brittle Stars and planets with their precision orbits, with the earth’s axis titled just right – all of it, and not once were they told all this came to be because God made it! Not once were they inspired to see how Awesome He is, how smart He is, and how fun He is! It still makes me sad!

But back to the Brittle Star.  When our Guide told us that the Brittle Star will break its own leg off and leave it behind (it can grow another one) in order to escape a predator, a spiritual application began to form on the screen of my mind.  Wouldn’t it be great if we were as ‘smart’ as the Brittle Star?  Wouldn’t it be smart of us to be willing to voluntarily cut off those ‘appendages’ that make us prey for the Evil One?  This Scripture came to mind and even though it is primarily speaking to an unsaved soul, you will probably see why it came to mind.

Matthew 18: ⁸ “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.    source

And since I sat to write, this one came to mind too: Hebrews 12:  ¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,    source

I’ll not probe with you the laying aside of every weight or the sin which so easily ensnares, but I will trust Holy Spirit to do His job in each of us to shed His Light on those ‘appendages’ that make us prey.  I will encourage us to pick up a few books to read; books on Astronomy, mammals, reptiles, fish and other sea creatures, and botany – there are so many! And when we have read and marveled and communed with Father about how AWESOME He is, gather our children, and our grandchildren and use those books and information to allow Holy Spirit to WOW them and open their hearts to soak up the Truth their schools are not telling them! 

It’s been a ‘fishy’ week, hasn’t it? Bluegill and now Brittle Star. Have some holy fun this weekend!  We love you with holy hugs!

Father, Thank You.  I so enjoyed the wealth of information we were given about Your Creatures.  I so enjoyed seeing Your Handiwork up close and personal.  No ONE, nothing compares to You.  You truly are AWESOME. You are so huge I cannot get my mind around You but what I do comprehend thrills and delights me.  I love You, Father.  I am so glad You are You.  Now, help us teach our young about You even more faithfully.  Help us not be shy about learning ‘science’ because in true Science You are there in the very heart of it!  LORD, train us, like You did Daniel, help us excel in matters of Science and Astronomy – all that stuff that shows us You are the Creator.  Put some excitement in us that will inspire our children and our grandchildren; to wake them up to the fact that YOU ARE THE COOLEST! That No One is more cool, more hip … whatever words they use these days for people they admire.  I want my grand-babies to ADMIRE You.  To admire You above everyone and everything.  Hey, I want that for me too.  So help me show myself faithful to that desire and cut off those appendages that make me devil prey. 

We’ve had some prayer request activity today and You have heard our prayers, we renew them now, knowing You have not forgotten and neither will You, and more than not forgetting You will do according to Your will for wayward souls we want to come home; for strife and un-forgiveness, for physical bodies that hurt, for eyes that don’t see, for ears that do not hear, for babies to grow up healthy and strong, for Mommas to rest and grandmothers to be okay; all this and more we bring to You and thank You so much that we can.  And thank You so much that You hear and answer.  We pray for all our IDOK Troops, for their peace and safety. We pray for Israel’s peace and safety.  We pray for America’s repentance.  We pray for political offices occupied by immoral folks to be vacated and filled with people of character and righteous principles.  We pray for revival in America.  And we pray for an army of prayer warriors to come together and pray until we see You pour out Your Spirit on Your Sons and Your Daughters.  LORD, I am excited to see what You are going to do with this IDOK ministry and other ministries all across this land.  LORD JESUS I just want You to be lifted up, exalted, loved, and praised because You are worthy.  Thank You for loving us and for enabling us to love You back. Amen and amen.

Love, Kathie