The “Wisdom For Life” Devotional Series is introduced with the image of sitting across the table from an older woman and listening to her words of wisdom. That safe and reassuring feeling is the same feeling we get from reading Sheila has the gift of seeing things with a spiritual eye. She uses illustrations that are simple and profound to share how God has worked in her life. The seemingly insignificant events of life, from bird-watching to vitamins, can be vehicles that carry us straight into deeper understanding of God’s will and God’s ways. Sheila shares vulnerably when she shares about her own struggles and victories; she allows us to laugh and to cry with her in her journey. It is the perspective of the journey that is so important, and we can only learn the right perspective with age and wisdom. As much as many women today fight the aging process, it is a crucial and blessed process when we are able to learn and pass on our findings to another generation. This is what happens in My Bucket of Sand.
Several of her lessons stand out to me; I will mention just two:
Sheila recalls a time when she learned the difference between “tragedy and inconvenience”. She gave the example of receiving a call from her oldest daughter that disrupted all of her plans on a certain day. Although she was certainly inconvenienced, she had to decide not to respond as if it were a tragedy. This is a fitting lesson for many women. Yes, there are times when we receive calls that do convey a tragic message. But so many times, the things that can upset our lives are so petty and small, and yet we react with great drama! Our response to daily challenges is strongly determined by a clear head and seeing things for what they truly are.
I enjoyed reading about Sheila’s buddy, Sally Forth. That is the name she gives her GPS (her Global Positioning System, or car navigator). “Sally” consistently keeps her on track and gently corrects her when she is going the wrong way. Her patience and persistence remind her of how God leads her when she has missed the right path, spiritually. But she also knows that, unlike “Sally”, God is not simply a bystander when we go our own way. He demands obedience. This lesson is important because of the tendency we all have to assume that God will benevolently allow us to continue to in our sin or rebelliousness. He leads us and expects us to follow!
My Bucket of Sand is a great book for daily devotional reading, with scriptures included in every short chapter. It is also an excellent book to give as a gift to your mother, sister, daughter, or friend. I intend to order several books for birthday and Christmas presents for friends and family. Order this book and others by Sheila Jones through Discipleship Publications International at www.dpibooks.com.
