A Miracle

Walker was about 8 months old. He had just started sitting up and he Loved to be outside (still does!). We sat down underneath the trees in our back yard. We sat in the grass and he was mesmerized by the grass, leaves, sticks...everything that normally we just walk over in day to day life. I spotted a branch about 12 or so inches long with about 10 leaves coming off of it. I picked it up and showed it to him while saying "look at the leaves!" trying to tell him what everything was. He didn't really care to play with my little tree limb so we just sat there enjoying being outside. I sat holding the branch and unknowingly pulling the leaves off of the limb. I looked down and my thoughts went to this scripture I read today and I thought I needed to share the visual explanation that I had over a year ago:

Romans 11:24 "For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are natural branches be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again."

As I held that limb in my hand with some of the leaves just torn off I was reminded of this scripture. God was teaching me what He did when I confessed Him as Lord of my life and believed in my heart that He raised Jesus from the dead...He grafted me in! I know that my example is a silly branch off of a tree that I can't even identify to you but God spoke so clearly through it. I picked up a leaf that I had just pulled off of the limb and put it back up to the natural limb (no, I'm not crazy I knew that I couldn't put it back) but THAT is JUST what God wanted me to see! See, the natural branch is Gods people- Israel- his holy, chosen people. Before I received salvation, I was not a part of His root. I was covered in sin and deserving of an eternity in Hell but thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ because of my faith in Him, God grafted me in to this rich root of a cultivated olive tree. As I sat holding the stem of this leaf up to the branch that I had just severed it from I was in awe. What a miracle of God that ONLY He can do! He is the only One who can do something like this so contrary to nature! It's amazing! He reminded me that apart from faith in Jesus which produces obedience there is nothing I DO...just say I'm the leaf.. Even if I sit next to the branch all day I still cannot be a part of it only God can do something so contrary to nature...only He is able to graft us in and the grafting is found in that little baby Jesus that we celebrate this season but is a reminder that every.single.day His birth should be celebrated because without His blood, His sacrifice, His righteousness, His deliverance I would never be able to be grafted in to His holy root...adopted into His family and a partaker of His riches. May my heart remember me and my sweet boy's day outside under the tree where I was reminded of Gods great miracle and great love for me.