5 Minutes of Hope

In the art of persuasion, he excelled, he did. It seemed as though every time a birthday or Christmas would roll around and presents were handed out, at the end of the day, my older brother Dave had a pile that was filled with much larger, shinier and newer gifts than mine. He had a way of making his THREE nickels look like SO MUCH MORE than my ONE, lonely quarter, if you know what I mean. SOME trader HE was!

Well, I met another Trader.

♫ All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

♫ But he made something beautiful of my life – Bill Gaither

—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:3

Friend, if it seems like your life is a mess and all you have to offer Him is worthless stuff, give it to Him and watch what He does as He trades you … beauty for ashes.

Oh, WHAT a Trader!