Bear with me…the following is a silly story, though, in truth, a wonderful testament of how much God loves us.
I know. You’re thinking and wondering, how a silly purse can have anything to do with the love of God. Read and find out.
On my fiftieth birthday, my dear friends, Merry and Rick Graham, came to my house with a beautifully and thoughtfully wrapped box.
Like children waiting for Santa Claus, they wiggled with excitement waiting for me to open their gift.
Rick even mentioned that he came just so he could see my expression when I opened it. (I am known for being quite excitable.) Merry added that she asked Rick’s permission to purchase it because it was quite expensive. Oh my! What could it be?
Like an excited child, I ripped through the lovely wrap, tossed open the box, peeled away the tissue paper and fell in love… with my first purse. 
I haven’t loved another purse since. I’ve never been into purses of any kind. I use big black leather bags to tote my traveling office. So this was my first love affair… with a purse.
(My hubby was my only love affair ever…before this purse!)
First of all, it was a Brighton, very spendy with lots of class.
Woven in the design was my favorite creature, lady bugs. I was smitten by the lovely braided leather straps and the size was just right. You know, not too big and not too small. like Goldie Locks.
I jumped for joy-Rick got the show he wanted and I immediately filled it with all my belongings. I never went anywhere without it. Women loved it and always commented on it, and it reminded me of how much I was loved.
Click on the Link and read a poem to describe why Lady Bugs became my moniker and how I am now the proud owner of hundreds of them: all shapes and sizes, gifts from lovely long time friends and wonderful new friends too. No Longer Just Another Day In the Garden
Okay, so here is where the story really begins again. I had to tell the prequel or you wouldn’t understand the “love” part.
About nine months after I received my purse, I went on a women’s retreat. Carol Steele was with me as was Merry Graham, who was one of the speakers. Other women from all sorts of other churches were there as well.
The last day of the retreat, God spoke to me. I know, I love it when He moves in my heart something so profound and different from my own thinking that it just has to be Him.
He said to my heart, “Give your Lady Bug purse to Dail.”
“What Lord? I don’t think I quite heard you. Could you repeat yourself, please?” (Hoping He didn’t say Lady Bug Purse, but maybe something like, “Get your grandbaby back home a pail.” Uh?
“Give your Lady Bug purse to Dail. She needs to know how much I love her and hear her when she calls out to me.”
“Okay Lord. I know you know I love my Lady Bug purse and you wouldn’t ask me to do this if it wasn’t really important, right?”
“I know your heart dear daughter. I know how you love it. I know how you love Me. And though you don’t know Dail very well, I know you love her too.”
“Okay.” I took a very deep breath, gathering strength for my small steps of faith.
I reached into my purse, pulled out a bag, started unloading all my things into it, and then very quietly and not wanting to let on that anything strange was going on, I slipped over to Dail, whispered in her ear, and handed her my purse.
It was hard. I returned to my seat.
Carol wanted to know where my purse was. I told her. I cried. She patted my back and blessed me ‘cause she knows my heart too.
I only told one other person: Merry. She needed to know so when she saw Dail with the Lady Bug purse she would not ask about it. She gave me her sweet blessing and understood.
So, many years later~seven to be exact~on my fifty-seventh birthday, in the middle of the night, after spending a lovely day with my family celebrating, I laid on my bed and remembered past birthdays.
I thought about my lovely Lady Bug purse. I remembered the joy I had when I received it. I prayed for Dail as I had for years, when I thought about it. I missed the Lady Bug purse so much it bordered on silly!!
“Lord?” I said. “I miss the Lady Bug purse. I long for the Lady Bug purse. Sorry to be silly but I do.”
“I know. Remember how it blessed Dail. Remember how she exclaimed to you that she had admired the purse all weekend. Remember how shocked she was that you knew that she collected bugs of all sorts, and how you really didn’t know, but I did. Remember how grateful she was when she heard~again~because she already knew, but you humans need to be shown quite often sometimes, how much I love her and hear her. Remember?”
“Yes, I remember. It was sweet and life changing and good to relinquish something that is much loved to show love. I remember. Thank you Lord.”
Well, guess what? I got a package in the mail today. The minute I saw it I knew what it was. It was Dail saying to my heart, “Here is the Lady Bug purse. God loves you. He hears you. I love you. God bless you!! I hope it brings you even more joy than it did all those years ago before you gave it to me.”
Lady Bug purse…how can you say so much?
Because God is love. He loves us and tells us all the time. He sent His Son to be our substitute-to die for our sin, so we wouldn’t have to. To save us from the debt that our sin demands…death!! He says, “Live!”
I came that you might have LIFE!!!
When we share Him and when we share ourselves and maybe even when we share our silly things, like the Lady Bug Purse, then we find Him in the middle of it, loving us and giving us love for one another. THANK YOU DAIL!! I love you!! THANK YOU LORD! I love you!!
Thanks for reading. May we love Him well and each other more because, “He first loved us.”
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