Friday's Footnote

Isaiah 61:3

 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

I 

Good morning - and a Fabulous Friday it is!

Back in early-mid 1993, my husband, Mike, had the opportunity to take over a local flea market type business in the small town where he was the pastor. We took out a small loan in order to get started, and we found ourselves the proud owners of a business!

Each day, at 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, our local radio station hosted a call-in Trading Post, where the townspeople could call to tell of things for sale, give away or to be purchased. My husband listened intently to each one of these broadcasts. If we were eating supper and it was 5:00, suddenly all conversation ceased as we all waited to hear if there was something of value to be purchased to put in our new store.

One night, a lady (who I will refer to as Dee) called in saying she had a sofa for sale, and she left her phone number, which we wrote down. Taking our oldest son with him, Mike went to the lady's house, which happened to be a very nice house sitting on beautiful acreage. It didn't take long for Mike to realize that the sofa wasn't something he wanted or needed, but he felt a spirit of depression in the home. He made conversation with Dee and told her what he sensed. She began to cry, relating a very sad story of her only daughter's tragic death. Mike told her he pastored a local church and invited Dee to attend.

On Sunday morning, there was Dee sitting in the congregation, and throughout the entire service, she cried. She did not return after that, but a call to her inviting her to an upcoming revival resulted in Dee once more visiting the church. During the revival, she repented of her sins, was baptized in Jesus' name and received the beautiful gift of the Holy Ghost! We were ecstatic but Dee was really ecstatic.

Within about a year, our flea market was sold to other people, and we were left with a small payment each month for maybe 1-2 years in order to pay off the loan. We joked with Dee often, calling her our "flea market saint." The transformation in Dee was well worth every cent we spent on that short-lived business owner endeavor. But, Dee received the best of the trade for she traded her sadness for joy; and for her spirit of heaviness she was clothed with a garment of praise.

We resigned the church in August of 2005, but Dee kept in touch with us that Thanksgiving and Christmas; and some time in 2006, she told us the sad news that she had cancer, but thanked us for all that we had instilled in her while she was under our spiritual care. 

On October 29, 2008, while we were in Texas welcoming the arrival of a new grandson, our precious flea market saint, Sister Dee, left this life for the other shore. Our hearts were so saddened at her passing, but knowing that she had been born again made our pain bearable. Sister Dee's race was over but while she received the best of the trade by becoming a Christian, she really got the best of the trade by trading a sick earthly body for a heavenly one!

I marvel at the way God gives to us peace instead of our chaos, joy instead of our sorrow, and forgiveness for all our sins. To know God is to be the recipient of the best of the trade!

My pastor's wife sang this dear old song when I was quite young, and I just found the words in my online search (but I do not know the artist):

The Trade

Verse One

The Lord gave me beauty for ashes,

And for sorrow He gave to me joy;

I was sad and oppressed,

He exchanged it for rest

And a peace that the world can't destroy

Verse Two

I was poor and had nothing worth having,

Disappointment had saddened my life;

Now I'm rich as can be

Since He traded with me

Abundance of peace for my strife

Verse Three

I was restless, but God made me quiet,

When I fully surrendered my all;

He gave me comfort for my fear

Gave me smiles for my tears,

As He lovingly heard when I called.

Verse Four

Had He charged me the difference in trading,

Then His grace I could never afford;

But He cancelled my debt,

And I have no regret

Though it looks like I cheated my Lord.

Chorus

I traded my sin for salvation,

I traded my load for relief;

I got peace for my condemnation,

And the joy of my Lord for my grief;

I traded my life that was wasted

For a temple to dwell in God made

I got so much more than I had before

I sure got the best of the trade

Friday's Footnote: Pause to remember and rejoice of all that you received when you traded with the Lord!

Have a blessed day and, Lord willing, I'll see you tomorrow for another spoonful.......