A Word Spoken At The Right Time

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 310: Today, I am grateful for a word spoken at the right time. 

This scripture stood out to me today. The image feels like fall. The scripture speaks truth. 

"Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket." - Proverbs 25:11

The right word at the right time can make all the difference. There are times we simply need a little affirmation. Encouragement and kindness can change our days. 

There are times we need a little nudge, too. Again, the right word at the right time. 

Sometimes, our tongues need to be checked and controlled. If it is not beneficial or helpful, is it necessary? Oh, the tongue is a powerful weapon. 

 "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." -Ephesians 4:29

There are always opportunities to use our words for good. 

Today, I am grateful for a word spoken at the right time.

Baptisms

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 309- Today, I am grateful for baptisms. 

We had five who made decisions to be baptized today. The oldest were in high school. It was beautiful to read their testimonies in the bulletin and to hear a little about how they are growing, going, and and living out their faith. 

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” *-Matthew 28:19-20

One step at a time. One day at a time. 

Today, I am grateful for baptisms. 

Clean Hot Water

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 308- Today, I am grateful for clean, hot water.

Clean water is a life saver. Hot water is a game changer. Clean, hot water provides us with necessities and luxuries, too. 

A hot shower and a warm beverage are part of my morning rituals each day. They feel like a necessity, but they are... in truth a luxury. 

Yes, we need safe, clean water. Heating it can help us sanitize everything from silverware to medical instruments. Now, there are fancier ways to get surgical tools ready, but it is good to remember the power of boiling water. 

After a storm or tornado takes out the power, we are quickly reduced to more primitive ways of living. It is always humbling to realize how much we depend on modern conveniences. It is good to practice and prepare for those times. Access to fresh clean water is the difference between life and death. A way to heat that water can be a game changer, too. 

North Carolina and the other states impacted by recent hurricanes know far too well the difference clean, hot water can make. First responders barely slept. Many volunteer citizens organized, donated, and delivered much needed items. Clean drinking water was key to survival. A way to heat clean water would seem almost miraculous. Imagine the joy found in a hot shower, a hot bowl of soup, or a hot cup of coffee! 

This passage came to mind. It is from a letter to the early church in Laodicea. It was a warning sent in love, meant as a wake up call. God knows our hearts. 

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." -Revelation 3:15-17

We do not want to be lukewarm. 

Today, I am grateful for clean, hot water.

Soup Season

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 307 - Today, I am grateful for soup season. 

Soup season is upon us and I love it. As the days cool down and the nights get cold, there is nothing like a hot bowl of soup to warm us from the inside out. 

Most soups require more time than talent or fancy ingredients. Most cultures and regions have favorites. To me, a pot of soup feels like a welcome home. 

"Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" -Hebrews 13:2

Hospitality is one way we can show love.

Feel free to share a favorite soup recipe in the comments. 

Today, I am grateful for soup season. 

Fall Activites

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 306 - Today, I am grateful for fall activities. 

Fall in the Midwest is full of color, football, marching bands, Help-A-Thon, community festivals, combine rides, pumpkins, apples, and the scents of harvest. Pumpkin pie spice seems to be sprinkled everywhere. The temperatures begin to drop so we can pull out our favorite sweaters, sweatshirts, boots, and cozy socks. 

Fall in our little village is a time of community coming together as a family. In our schools, in our parks, in our churches, in the workplace, and walking about town... it feels like you are a part of something bigger. A deep breath of the autumn scented air is a reminder of our many blessings. 

Is this place perfect? Of course, not! People are imperfect. I see it in my own mirror every morning. But, we head out the door every morning with the clean slate of a new day. We encounter people around us who look for the best in us. We do our best to practice kindness, encouragement, and forgiveness.

I am reminded of the "Festival of the Harvest" where God gave this instruction: 

“Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest. “Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields." -Exodus 23:16

It is good to gather together. It is even better to gather in the Fall. Savor the season!

Today, I am grateful for fall activities. 

Pumpkins

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 305 - Today, I am grateful for pumpkins.

I love pumpkins. They are fun. They are good food. They are cute. In our little village, it is always pumpkin season. 

Honestly, I could spend a week or two finding gratitude related to pumpkins. They add delight to our fall and winter days. I am grateful for the canned pumpkin puree so we can enjoy our favorites all year long. 

Savor the season. 

"As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” -Genesis 8:22

Today, I am grateful for pumpkins.

Truth Spoken in Love

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 304 - Today, I am grateful for the truth spoken in love. 

How do we deliver the truth? What does it mean to "speak the truth in love?" 

Love is never smug. It hurts with the one who is hurting or struggling to find and understand the truth. 

The truth is not always easy, but it is always illuminating. Truth sheds light in the darkest places. 

In Geometry, we have proofs. You spell out every little detail logically so there are no gaps in your explanation and conclusion.  In God's Word, there are proofs, too. God spells out the details and shows us the evidence of His love. We cannot skip steps. We cannot ignore judgement errors or wrong turns. When finished, it all comes together. 

In recent years I have grown more fascinated with the ways God reveals Himself in unexpected places. It is in the broken places that His love shines light and truth. 

"Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." -Ephesians 4:15  

Be gentle. Be present. Be sincere. Be patient. Be love.

Today, I am grateful for the truth spoken in love.