Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge 76 . . . K.I.S.S.

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. This week's hostess is Patii!!! Our sponsor is Simon Says stamp and you can read all about them and read Patti's devotional on our home page here. Her chosen verse for this week is from Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have, because God has said 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'" For Valentine's week she is challenging us to make a one layer card, Keep It Simple Sisters!

That verse is so rich in content. Keep your lives free from the love of money. As Valentine's Day approaches, think about it . . . can money buy you love? And if your primary love in life is money, will it bring you happiness?

I remember many years ago when my middle child was a toddler and I was a single parent, a group of us from church went on a 4th of July camping trip. It was great to be outdoors and the camaraderie and fellowship helped soothe our aching hearts; all of us had been abandoned by a spouse who sought greener pastures elsewhere. As we were having a devotional service and the kids were playing, my daughter, about three at the time, wandered through the field nearby and unprompted, carefully selected and picked individual flowers, one at a time. Then she would look at the group, come dancing back, and one by one, present a single stem to each of the people participating in the impromptu service. She didn't talk or interrupt, just presented her flower, then skipped back to find another.

It was a sweet touch of the Holy Spirit during that time and many in the group told me they kept those flowers pressed in their bibles for years afterwards. This card I made in remembrance of that day. You can't buy spontaneous acts of affection.

So what comfort to know that you don't have to buy the greatest love of all, in fact, that bill has been paid for you. Jesus Christ paid for it all on the cross and when you accept that gift, from that day forward you can carry those words in your heart at all times. "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

The world can reject you or forsake you. I've experienced that first hand. I'm sure there isn't a single person reading this post who hasn't been betrayed or rejected by someone, whether parent, spouse, coworker or friend. And no amount of money can fix those relational problems. No amount can buy a friend or the love of a spouse. But you can content yourself with God's wonderful promises and know that His love never fails.

Thanks for looking. Hope you can play along this week!

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers Greet the Day with Gerber
Ink: black craft
Paper: white
Other: cuttlebug embossing folder, MFP yellow gingham ribbon, prismacolor pencils, gamsol, chalk, dew drops