I was totally caught off guard at my daughter’s church.
A few years ago, Sara joined another church and invited me to attend a service with her. When we sat down, I couldn’t believe my eyes. “I haven’t seen one of these since I was a girl!”
“Uh…you have pews at your church momma.”
“Not the pews.” I reached up and plucked a fan out of the wooden box on the backside of the pew in front of us. “These.” I began to wave it in front of my face.
It brought back wonderful childhood memories. I remembered sitting on a plain and hard wooden church pew with my Mom and Mamaw Jo. Our pews didn’t have any nice, comfy cushioned pads back in those days. And on the back of each one hung wooden shelves filled with hymnals and, best of all, church fans.
The beautiful scenes on the front of the fans fascinated me. Of course, there were pictures of Jesus. One had him kneeling and praying while in the Garden of Gethsemane. Another had him as the shepherd to a flock of sheep. Last but not least, my favorite Jesus picture was of him knocking on a door.
And there were pictures of churches surrounded by pretty country settings. The fall ones with the colored leaves were especially stunning. I have often wondered if that is why looking at beautiful county scenery gives me peace and makes me think of Heaven.
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart. So that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV).
As Believers, the Holy Spirit places in our hearts the ability to truly appreciate the beauty of The Lord’s handiwork. But you don’t have to settle for any picture. Just go outside and let the Holy Spirit fill you with speechless awe at His incredible creation.
Not surprisingly, I did get in trouble with the church fans. At times, I would wave one so hard that I would accidentally smack myself in the face with it. Then my mom would quietly reach over and take the fan away. At Sara’s church, I hit my glasses with the fan. Crack! She didn’t try to take my precious fan away. She simply said, “Momma! Really?”
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.