Jewels in the Crown of Christ by Yvonne M. Morgan
What is a jewel? The dictionary offers several definitions; 1) a gemstone, 2) anything considered precious or valuable, and 3) a person who is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable. Of course, most people think of gemstones when they hear the word. Many of us find ourselves captivated by the beauty of rare gems. In fact, millions of people flock each year to see the Crown Jewels in London. And what says more about love than giving a glittering diamond to someone special? But, I want to talk about something God taught me about the jewels in the crown of Christ. The idea of jewels took on a different meaning for me several years ago. I attended a women’s conference at my church. The speaker at the event walked us through a biblical mediation exercise. She had us close our eyes and think about a verse from the Bible that held a special meaning to us. As I thought about my favorite verse, Romans 8:28, a vision flashed through my mind. I saw a church narthex with the floor covered in jewels that sparkled and glowed like a rainbow of colors in the image. I also noticed the variety of sizes and shapes. I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to sweep up the treasures and take care of them. Then the vision disappeared. I never shared about the image because I did not understand the message God wanted to give me. Still, I tucked it away because I knew it had a meaning, and I prayed God would reveal it to me someday.
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Fast forward to many years later. One day, I read a book called “No Longer a Slumdog: Bringing Hope to Children in Crisis” by K. P. Yohannan. This book tells the stories of many poor Indian children and how they suffer in their society. The book shows how God redeemed them with His love. As I read the book, one sentence resonated with me, and for some reason, it brought back the memory of the vision. The sentence read, “Can we see them as Jesus does, so special to Him, they’re worth like jewels beyond compare.” I had never thought of others as jewels, but Christ does. So then, I also realized that Christ wants me to see everyone around me as His precious jewels. Thus, Jesus finally showed me the meaning of the vision He gave me. But, how would I apply it to my life? Later, I saw an example of how God could use me as a jewel to serve others. During a trip to Kenya, we planned to visit lots of areas in and around the Lake Victoria region to evaluate projects we could help them complete. We stopped to see one church in dire need of repairs. The sight of God’s house in such disrepair broke my heart. We walked around to get a better look but found the doors locked. Some locals told us where the custodian lived, so we decided to go to his house.
