Since the beginning of my married life, I have enjoyed growing and preserving veggies and berries each summer, to the extent that I end up pickling and jamming, canning and freezing, way more than my household can use in a reasonable amount of time.  I  seem to feel a compulsion to do something with whatever is in season.

Late last summer I was making a batch of blackberry jam (berries courtesy of my great-grandson, who put more of the fragrant globs into his mouth than he did into the pail!), when I discovered a shortage of jam jars.  Only two empty ones remained after my busy summer of preserving.  So I hastily gathered together any available container - a glass cream pitcher, assorted cups and mugs, water glasses, even a sparkling vase for flowers.  Then I poured in the bubbling purple liquid and watched how beautifully the jam assumed the shape of each unusual container.

The next day I told my neighbor about my surrogate jam jars so we could share a smile together.  I also passed along the thought God had whispered to me earlier:  Just as the jam flowed to seamlessly fill each receptacle's curves, God's grace assumes the shape of our daily and most difficult circumstances.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  2 Corinthians 12:9