Martha and Mary

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 291: Today, I am grateful for Martha and Mary.

"I may sometimes run with Martha to do what Christ needs of me, but I think I should more frequently sit with Mary to receive from Christ what I need from Him." - C.H. Spurgeon

There is much truth in this quote. There is value in work. Working for the Kingdom of God is an honor and a privilege. Still, it is easy to get so caught up in the work that we forget to sit at the feet of Jesus to receive what we need from Him. I have been guilty of this more often than I would like to admit.

My dear friend, Julie, and I have enjoyed dressing up as Martha and Mary on Palm Sunday. We use that opportunity to teach about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. It is always special. 

Staying in our roles, we share their story. Their hospitality was not only for Jesus. He came with a pack of hungry men who needed food and rest. They opened their home and shared from their resources. They were a blessing to Jesus and the disciples. They showed us how to be intentional in our hospitality. 

I can learn so much by their example. 

Today, I am grateful for Martha and Mary.

Work We Were Born To Do

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 290: Today, I am grateful the work we were born to do. 

"Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart." 

Work adds purpose to our days. God "created the heavens and the earth" and when he was finished, he rested. God created and saw it was good. He was delighted with the work. 

Our life's work can change in different seasons of life. Some work we are made for, designed for, and live for. Some work is necessary. Attitude matters. 

Working within our skill set can be fruitful. Working outside of our natural abilities we stretch and grow. Being intentional can make all the difference. 

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." -Colossians 3:23

We can make the most of this day. 

Today, I am grateful the work we were born to do. 

Morning Moments

 Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 289: Today, I am grateful morning moments with the Master.

"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.  " -Psalm 90:14

It really is the best way to start the day. Prayer is an easy addition to a morning routine. The shower is a wonderful place to pray and praise. It is good to thank Him for the gift of a new day. 

My commute to work is really short, but I am very intentional about packing a little WCIC (91.5) on my way. It satisfies my soul to hear the scriptures, the songs, the stories, and the voice proclaiming the victory, redemption, and the hope we have in Jesus. 

He satisfies the soul like none other.  

Today, I am grateful morning moments with the Master.

The Best Day

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 288: Today, I am grateful we can proclaim it the best day in the year. 

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote makes me think of my dear friend Jim Sedgwick. Jim was one of two work coordinators at Peoria Alternative High School. Jim was a hoot. He worked at Manual High School in Peoria before he came to PAHS. 

The other half of the work coordinators team was my very special Cleve. They were quite a pair. Polar opposites in so many ways, but Jim and Cleve were both committed to helping "the least of these" who landed at PAHS be successful at work and school. 

Jim was one of the rare White Sox fans in the Peoria area. Back home people were Cubs or White Sox. In Central Illinois, it is either the Cubs or the Cardinals. Jim was an anomaly in so many ways. 

Jim liked rules and order. If you moved a pen on his desk, he would notice.  Our alternative high school students struggled with authority and rules. For Cleve, loving the students was a reflex like breathing. For Jim, it was intentional, and that made it special and beautiful. Both men loved Jesus and it translated into how they spent their days. 

If you asked Jim how he was doing, his typical reply was, "Every day is a holiday and every meals a feast." He worked at his attitude and it showed. He was quick to smile and laugh. He was passionate about the things he loved and the work he did. He loved singing in the church choir. He loved people and parties. He has been gone 22 years, but I can still here his voice, with a bit of a Chicago accent that never really left him. 

"Every day is a holiday and every meals a feast!" Make the most of this day. Proclaim it a good day, and it will be. 

"The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad." -Psalm 118:24

Today, I am grateful we can proclaim it the best day in the year. 

A Walk

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 287: Today, I am grateful we can take a walk. 

"Few people know how to take a walk.  The qualities are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good silence, and nothing too much." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Love-of-my-Life and I took a lovely walk this weekend. It was a perfect afternoon for simple pleasure. It was too nice to stay inside. The leaves are turning. The animals are playful. It is always good for the soul. 

Daisy Mae's arch nemesis is the squirrel. They are too quick for her to catch(thank goodness). The squirrels in our back yard typically taunt her. I think they enjoy that part of the game way more than Daisy Mae. On our walk, a neighborhood squirrel in another yard took to the tree when we walked by, but did not flee. We watched the squirrel and the squirrel watched us. Strangers yet familiar with the roles in nature's design. 

We saw nature's final wave of summer's glory losing its luster. Fall pumpkins and decor appear. Some take to their porches, enjoying the mild temperatures and sunny skies. 

"There is such value in taking to nature. It is good for the soul. 

"You crown the year with your bounty,
    and your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
    the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;
    they shout for joy and sing." -Psalm 65:11-13 

Today, I am grateful we can take a walk. 

Access to the King

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 286: Today, I am grateful for access to the King. 

I adore this quote:

"The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access." -Tim Keller

I love everything about the implications of this quote. I find myself often "crying out" in prayer on the night shift. 

If I wake up and cannot go back to sleep, it always seems perfectly natural to talk to the Father. There is something about the stillness of the night. It soothes my soul and eases any worries. 

I love that the scriptures tell us that He delights in the moments we seek His face. He wants to be a part of all of our days from sunrise to sunset. 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." -Matthew 7:7-8

He longs for the invitation. 

Today, I am grateful for access to the King. 

Rocking Chairs

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 285: Today, I am grateful for rocking chairs. 

I love a good rocking chair. We have always kept a pair, since the early days of our marriage. We had Rubbermaid in white (think "Little Tikes" for many years. Then we added some wicker furniture with two rockers. 

We have a new outdoor set for the backyard. Randy and Daisy Mae needed a couch. I wanted rockers. Rocking is soul soothing. 

When the boys were babies and needed to be nursed or consoled, the glider rocker was where I would rock them until they fell back to sleep. Sometimes the comforting motion would lull us both to sleep. 

"Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you very far." -Jodi Picoult

The soothing rhythm found in rocking helps us to sort through the good and the bad in life. A person can think, rest, and restore in a rocking chair.  

One of the first verses I memorized on my own was this: "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" - Matthew 25:27

Do not fret. Just rock and rest. 

Today, I am grateful for rocking chairs.