The Gift (ASV)

My Father has given me a coat of many colors. It is woven with threads of black for my grief and sorrows, and yellows of all hues, from brightest sunshine to almost orange, for the many joys. There’s a soft mauve for humility, and neon orange for pride. The brightest blues of refreshing mingle with the vivid reds of passion. A cool green flashes peace amidst the tangled whites of love, while the brooding grays of cloudy thoughts look particularly beautiful next to the many pink shades of hope. Some of the blacks are beginning to display a bright silvery shimmer, and there’s a purple thread of wisdom that seems to be multiplying. And today, my Father lovingly removed a thread of black and replaced it with a thread of gold as He brought healing to an age-old hurt. I love my coat of many colors. The older I grow, the softer, warmer and more comfortable it becomes. The more time I spend with the Father, the more beauty it radiates. I wouldn’t trade the experiences of my life for anything, for I know they are woven by Father into the tapestry He is creating. —Joyce Estes Lagana “Jehovah appeared of old unto me, saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.’” Jeremiah 31:3 “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.” Genesis 37:3 “Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Deuteronomy 7:9