I have been seeing some exciting recipes for jelly and jam lately. I have not canned anything in years, but I thought that I might try this year.
Apparently, people make dandelion jelly, and even honeysuckle jelly. Who knew?
I stopped at a roadside market once that sold peach preserves. If you have a sweet tooth like I do, then you know how hard it was not to buy a jar. There couldn't be a sweeter combination than fruit and sugar. I almost couldn’t resist!
Preserves are naturally very sweet. Even though it already contains sugar, after you take your favorite fruit, cook it down, you will add almost as much sugar as fruit, and then put it in a tightly sealed jar. (This is not an actual recipe, of course) What you end up with is an alteration of the former fruit.
It is now preserved in amazing sweetness. It is so good!
It reminds me of the grace of God in our lives. It is the central theme of the Bible.
Grace: undeserved, divine assistance given to us for our regeneration or sanctification (being freed from sin).
One of the most powerful examples of grace in scripture is the story of David'sforgiveness of Saul.
What began as a relationship founded on deep admiration, over time, was marred by jealousy, anger and hate. King Saul, who was once tormented by evil spirits, found peace in the music played by a young shepherd boy named David.
Because of this relief, David was given a position of honor in the royal courts. But, because of David's faith and victories in battle, it wouldn't take long before David found himself the subject of resentment and jealousy.
Before long, King Saul would harbor so much hate that he would attempt to take David's life.
But even while fleeing for his life, David still maintained respect and loyalty towards King Saul.
It was a grace shown to King Saul by David that he most certainly did not deserve.
I have often wondered how David could respond in that way towards someone who was trying to kill him.
The answer is simple.
Grace.
The grace given to David by God was the same grace that David would show to King Saul. He did what he had been shown throughout his life.
God's grace is a daily reminder of His love for mankind. When we face trials and temptations, we can often feel so beaten down and overwhelmed.
Sometimes we resemble that batch of peach preserves that has been broken down, crushed, and prepared for canning.
But God, in his goodness and grace, takes that crushed and strained life and fills it with the sweetness of blessings that we really don’t deserve. We end up an alteration of the former fruit preserved by the sweet grace of God!
It’s not often that a simple jar of jelly can bring you to a moment of thankfulness to God, but today I am thankful for grace. I hope you are too!
Dawn Hayes is mother of 4, grandmother to 3 and she and her husband pastor at New Hope Assembly of God in Senatobia. She has been writing “Sips from the Well” since 2015.
