The lesson of the Russian dolls

Sarah woke up before I was done having my quiet time with God.  I greeted her and hoped she would go away so I could continue being holy. Not a very holy thought--clearly I needed more time with God.  She started to chatter about meaningless things, and I told her I was having quiet time with God.  She continued to prattle on, so I did what any mature mother would do:  I hunched over my Bible, stuck my fingers in my ears, and tried to ignore her.

I was asking Him to help me with a couple things: not to be annoyed with my daughter and to give me a picture of the verse I'd just read so I could grasp it better.  The verse was John 14:20: "When I come back to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."  I know what it means, but I was just asking for a clearer understanding.  He showed me a Russian nesting doll.  I remembered that my parents had bought one for Sarah when they were in Russia.  She was still right next to me, so I asked her if she still had those nesting dolls.  She went to her room and returned with them in two seconds.

 The Lord showed me that the smallest one is like the Holy Spirit.  It fits inside the next one, which is me.  I fit inside the next one, which is Jesus, and we all fit inside the second-biggest one, which represents God.  I was demonstrating it to Sarah, and I tossed the biggest one aside, mumbling "That's just an extra."  But Sarah said, "No. That's a person who doesn't have Jesus inside them.  They're empty and hollow."

Suddenly, I realized that God had perfectly answered both of my prayers in showing me the Russian dolls and having Sarah complete the lesson for me. It's hard to be annoyed with someone that the Holy Spirit is using.

There I am, the little plain one on the left. I'm not as big and beautifully painted as the one on the right, but

I have Power in me!

And the other one is just an empty shell.