ONE LITTLE BRACELET

It started out with a gift for a friend of mine. I wanted to find something extra special that would have a lasting meaning for her. It was an interesting bracelet that I had found at a Christian bookstore. Nothing I had ever seen in the past really intrigued me but this one fascinated me. It was a simple bracelet with several different beads. Each different bead told a part of the story of Christ. The star symbolized the star that guided the Wise Men to see Christ in the manger. Three beads next to the star symbolized each of the three kings. The red bead represented the royalty of Christ, the new king. Other beads represented part of His life from that of being a carpenter all the way to the end of His life, symbolized by a heart. Knowing that my friend was a Christian I thought it would be perfect.

Torri, my friend, absolutely loved her gift. She remarked about the way that the beads were arranged around the circle and she liked it so much that she decided to make it as a present for several of her own friends. Since she knew how to make her own jewelry it wasn’t hard to imagine her working at home putting the beads together.

It wasn’t long after that they I had to come up with a Christmas gift for my two granddaughters. It sometimes is really hard to come up with ideas for a pre-teen and a teen especially since fashion and personal likes change so much. I came back to the bracelet again. I thought it would be perfect. Both of the girls attend church and it would be an easy way to share our faith together and they could have something special to help remember Grandma’s gift. The reaction was delight in something that was unusual yet told a story about the life of Christ. It would be a chance for them to share it with others and tell them of Christ.

The story about the bracelet doesn’t end here. You never really know exactly what God can do with one simple thing. The bracelet that had been given to my friend and then to my granddaughters inspired something else. Alisa, the girls’ mother, is an artist who has starting to paint again. She had several paintings around the house and she was working to have some of them displayed at a gallery. She loves to do abstract art and is really great with what she paints. While I looked at one painting and was trying to exactly figure out what she was portraying, she asked me if I recognized anything in the picture. She had to show me where to look but near the middle of the painting were some of the same beads from the bracelet. The beads formed part of a belt that was wrapping around the middle of a simple garment from Biblical days. The outline of the coat was very soft and subdued but the beads were noticeable. I was amazed that the little bracelet had made such an impression in such a short time.

But the story still doesn’t end yet. Alisa took the paintings to the gallery to have the owner peruse those paintings that he felt would sell. He selected some of the abstract fruit that she had painted but his real fascination was with the paintings that had the hidden bracelet and beads going around the center of the garment. In fact, he was so enthusiastic that he asked if she could paint more of the same type of art. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was seeing he only knew that he liked it and wanted to have more of that style of art in his gallery. He currently is getting things organized for an art show in early March where the paintings will be on display and available for purchase.

One little bracelet was given as a gift. The same bracelet was given again in the form of two gifts. Then the bracelet became the focal point in paintings that will go out to other homes. These little beads have over and over been a testimony to many people and this is only the beginning of the story. Where these beads appear next is hard to imagine but this is only one bracelet. Imagine the story that goes along with another bracelet and then another one and another one. Such a big impact from such a simple but creative piece of jewelry! Just like something else that has made an impact on many lives, the resurrection of Christ. Because of what He did for us, we have a new life and a new focus. And if we tell others of Him, his story will continue to be a witness to everyone along the way.

(John 3:16 KJV)