Women’s Breakfast Meeting in Annaberg, Germany

Every last Tuesday of the month around 50 women crowd the Seventh-Day Adventist church in Annaberg, Germany. They come in expectation of a delicious breakfast buffet, companionship and sharing with friends and an interesting topic for discussion. In April the speaker was Silke Keller-Blobel who began with a story. She told about a chipped water jug. It was being used to fetch water and the carrier had a jug on both sides. One was perfect und kept the water as expected. The chipped jug lost water on the way.
Instead of being bothered about losing water the carrier was happy, because on the side of the path where he carried the chipped jug flowers were blooming.
This is a beautiful story that we can apply to our lives. In our lives there are times when we feel useless like the chipped jug. Silke used this story to illustrate the hard times in her life. A few years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and her world fell apart. As a mother of four children she had to deal with a situation where nothing was as usual. When she hit rock bottom she could only cling to God, who was right beside her. She felt like the chipped jug in this worst phase of her life. Had she not been able to see the flowers on the side of the path when her life was like a pile of shards she would not have been able to survive.
Now looking back Silke can talk about the flowers that grew, the blessings she experienced, the peace in her heart that surpasses all understanding. She knows what it is like when God picks you up and carries you. She met people she would normally never have met. She told about the many encounters she had in hospital.
Can God use a person who is broken to be a blessing? Yes, he can. And that is what Silke’s life story showed us. I am grateful for this strong woman, who lives in close contact with God and was willing to tell her story. I am grateful for our women’s breakfast meetings and the candor with which we interact. And I admire Silke, who considers her illness a blessing, seeing the flowers at the side of the path, and who encouraged us.
Reported by Margit Dressel