Untangled

By: Anita Mondragon

Untangled

Awhile back, I was searching for a piece of jewelry to wear with a particular outfit. I was searching for an old piece that I had owned for quite sometime. As I dug through my jewelry box, I finally found it! It had lain in the box for so long, it had become entangled with other pieces. It was a mess! One piece was a pin with my name- Anita, another was a necklace-a cross, there was two other necklaces-one was a gold ring, the other was a heart. The chains were threaded around the pin, and all stuck together in one huge mess!

Patiently, I tried to gently untangle them. It took two hours to get it done. As I worked on them, I remembered that they had all been gifts from loved ones. My son, Micah had given me the heart when he was only three years old. Remembering his excited face and look of anticipation when he presented it to me was priceless indeed! The golden ring necklace was a gift from my sister-in-law, Wilma. She had one just like it and after I had commented on it’s beauty, she bought me one for my birthday. The pin that bore my name had been a gift to me from many years past by a dear friend. The last piece was a cross necklace. It was also given to me by a dear friend.

They were all beautiful pieces, and all given with love by someone dear to me. However, in their current state, they were of no use no matter how beautiful they were.

Then it dawned on me…God has given me many beautiful gifts in my lifetime, but in my haste to live life my way, I had tossed them aside, left them forgotten and they got all tangled up in my nonsense. But in his mercy, God wanted to use me and my gifts, so he gently and patiently untangled the mess I had made of my life. He restored my gifts and made me whole again.

As I pondered the pieces, and the revelation that God had given me regarding them, I had to liken myself to the prodigal son. The Father had a heart of love for me. When I finally decided to come back, he placed a golden ring on my finger to show his undying love for me. He called my name, Anita, and reminded me of the cross he died on for my sins. At the end of all the chains that bound my life, hung a cross…and the cross is what made all the difference in me!