Reminders "To Be"

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 89: Today, I am grateful for reminders "to be."

It is easy to get caught up in chaos. Romans 12:12 is like a balm to my soul. 

"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."

It is good guidance for daily living in good times and in hard times. The spring flowers in this pot made me smile. I love the Gerbera daisy! The sister my brother chose for me loves them, too. They are so happy and encouraging. 

I think loving daisies is one of the reasons I have become obsessed with my zinnias. It all began with shared seeds from my life-long friend, Roxanne. Flowers are not instant. Seeds require hope and patience. 

When we are faithful to tend the seed with the most basic needs... the miracle happens. How a seed that is hard and lifeless becomes a beautiful flower, tree, or food will always be a mystery to me. 

To be a seed is  simply "to be." To be planted, growing, and strengthened by the struggle to survive, which in gardening terms is called pruning. Even in the painful places, were are reminded "to be." Especially in the trials. 

Today, I am grateful for reminders "to be."

Books Can Take Us Everywhere

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 86: Today, I am grateful books can take us everywhere.

This is true for boys, too. Those who love books, have access to books, and actually read them can travel to far-away places... including space. I love books.   

Our little Clifton Library next to the Grocery store was one of my favorite places during my childhood. I can still recall the smell. Some of the books were old and probably donated. Small towns are resourceful. 

Mama Ina Mae would let me check out the maximum number of books. I would ready them as fast as I could and check out another stack. Reading time was a special time. I would sneak-read late into the night when the book was good.

Aunt Judy Hanson is my Godmother. She shared her books with me in my teen years. It is a special memory I have from growing up with her. The first time I heard the name Chase was in a book she gave me. 

My dear friend, Susie, introduces me to JD Robb's "In Death" mystery series that is set in the future. They travel "off planet" and have an "auto chef" in the house that cooks any time of day. I never thought I would like it but I do. Strong characters that you feel like you "know" are my favorite. Susie has kept me reading, and I truly appreciate the many places she has taken me, simply by sharing her books.    

Our church library has a wonderful collection of Christian fiction. Dee Henderson is my favorite.  

The book I love best is my Bible. It is timeless and a treasure. Family Bibles can take us back in time with the family history recorded in the front of the Bible. I love this verse from John:

"Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." -John 21:25

Reading can take us anywhere. 

Today, I am grateful books can take us everywhere.

Clear Wording

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 86: Today, I am grateful for clear wording.

Have you ever read a passage or directions for a "simple" DIY assembly and realize that you have no clue what the directions are saying? It happens to most of us. "Some assembly required" can be terrifying. I like clear instructions and a clear path. 

This verse struck me for the many clear, commanding words.   

"And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength."-Deuteronomy 6:5 NLT

And you must...with all...all...and all. It is quite clear. There is no reason to question the instruction. Our God does not stutter. 

Today, I am grateful for  clear wording. 

Chihuly Glass

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 85: Today, I am grateful for Dale Chihuly glass.

It is no secret, I love glass. I think it goes back to Grandma Marge Lindgren's love of cut glass. It was gorgeous and looked rich, but it was no great loss if something was broken. Grandma was determined to teach us all manners and grace, but with kindness and love. 

Dad and Uncle Mel did not always appreciate her desire to set a beautiful table for the holidays or special guests. In their home, a special guest was anyone who came for a meal. Her love of glass was contagious. 

Stained glass, sea glass, and glass blown pumpkins all require sand taking on heat to create something new and beautiful. 

My first taste of Dale Chihuly glass was on the Disney Wonder ship. The chandeliers looked much like the one in this picture. Glass is tougher than it looks. It needs respect and care, and this particular piece is safer hung high in a grand foyer, but it is surprisingly strong.

I love the whimsy and wildness in his designs. They look like they belong under the sea or on another planet. They are out of this word! His use of color is stunning. I wonder if he is as surprised at the end of each sculpture as those who enjoy viewing it? There is planning and then there is the magic of sand and heat coming together. 

We are going to blow some glass with Glass Girl (a glass artist in Morton) soon with our family. It was a Christmas gift for Randy, but it will be an adventure for all of us.  She specializes in glass pumpkins, but has many other beautiful pieces. 

God created man in his image. His creativity is boundless. We all have a spark of art in us that can be buried and ignored or uncovered and celebrated. A natural gift that is practiced and honed results in beautiful art. 

"“Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the Lord has commanded." -Exodus 35:10

Do not hide your talent. Do not neglect your spark. Celebrate the gift of art, glass, and glass artists. 

Today, I am grateful for Dale Chihuly glass.

Redefining Privilege

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 84: Today, I am grateful we can redefine privilege.

One of my favorite devotional books had a recent reading on Heaven's currency. It was an interesting way of reframing many scriptures I have read and heard hundreds of times. I found some notes in my Bible that brought it all together. Funny how that happens, right? 

Materialism is a disease of the rich and the poor. The rich spend all of their time managing their wealth. It sucks up time and energy. For the poor, chasing wealth demands time, energy, and the temptation to take shortcuts. The thing you love most will direct your life.

"God Our Provider" is one of my favorite names for God.  Jehovah Jireh rolls off the tongue almost musically. The God of the Universe longs for us to realize that He will provide all of our needs. Like manna, water, and quail in the forty years in the desert... he provided enough every single day. 

He wants us to be good and honest stewards with the wealth we have. Dad always said you cannot outgive God. I know he was right. God's blessings are often not monetary, although faithful stewardship is often blessed. 

My devotion reminded me that Heaven's currency is saved souls. Our families, friends, and strangers we encounter are the only thing we can take to Heaven. In this world full of advertising and AI directed advertisements, it is easy to be misguided. Privilege on earth is fleeting. Financial planning is not perfect. 

Jesus encouraged believers to go and share the Good News. He recommended traveling light. The early disciples were welcomed in the homes of strangers, but brothers and sisters in Christ. Others offered hope to non-believers and were offered food and lodging. Some exchanged the Gospel for a meal. Some risks landed them in jail... where they continued to share Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. 

"For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." -Philippians 1:29

The world defines privilege as wealth and power. The weak, sick, and poor often know the rich miss. Trust in gold leads to anxiety. Trust in Jesus leads to peace. Many who go to the poorest places with the gospel as their currency find their hearts call them back to serve again. There is a richness that comes from pouring out our lives in acts of service and meeting needs when we see them. 

No one likes suffering. I love comfort, too, Yet, it is in times of suffering, sickness, loss, and uncertainty that we begin to understand that "you can't take it with you." Paul, Silas, Peter, and so many others in the early church until today have found prison a ripe mission field. 

Dad loved going to jail with Bibles as a Gideon. We joke that he had a captive audience. I think it was one of his greatest joys in life. One of those jail ministry encounters led to a relationship that lasted a life-time for our family. It eventually resulted in case law that helps abused and battered women. 

That is Heaven's currency. That is redefining privilege. How will we spend this one day we have today? 

"Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. -C.T. Studd

Today, I am grateful we can redefine privilege.

Confession

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 84: Today, I am grateful for confession.

Confession makes the heart grow lighter. The burden is removed. The funny thing is that God is omniscient. We do not have to confess our sins for him to know them. Confession unburdens our hearts. The price of our sin is already paid in full. 

Children can be a beautiful example of confession. When they do something they know they should not do, it grows bigger and bigger until they clean their hearts through the act of confession. 

For Adam and Eve, the result of disobedience cost them their garden home. They hid from God. Was shame or fear felt first? I suspect shame. He only gave them one restriction in the entire garden. Just one. 

The enemy of our souls deceived them. They were embarrassed for the first time when God called them by name. They tasted shame. Disobedience had a price. 

 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” -Genesis 3:11

Adam and Eve delivered their excuses. Excuses did not change the reality of their sin. 

God felt the weight of their sin, too. He wanted them to choose Him and love Him, not by command... but  by choice. Freewill was His gift. With that gift,  they showed pride and arrogance. God is truth, mercy, and justice. He had warned them of the consequences. 

I am still in awe of a God who does not write us off when we fail. He gave us a way to reconcile. Reconciliation and forgiveness can be a foundation for stronger relationships. From hurt, to healing, and in hope, we have the opportunity to lighten our load when we confess our sins to Him. 

 "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." 1 John 1:9

Do not neglect the gift of humble confession to a mighty God who desires a restored relationship with us. He made a way. He became the way. 

"Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." -John 14:6

Today, I am grateful for confession.

The Central Message

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 83: Today, I am grateful for the central message.     

I am not a math girl, but I am completely enthralled with hidden messages, mysteries, history, and  archeology. 

I have always been curious about numbers in the Bible. Biblical numerology is the study of numbers in the Bible as part of the mystery and the message. Seven, three, four, and forty seem to be significant. 

This "Did You Know That?" was intriguing to me. What message is in the middle of the Bible? 

"It is better to take refuge in the Lord  than to trust in people." -Psalm 118:8

Lies and deception are everywhere and easily spread. Some come disguised as truth. A reminder to take our refuge in God is key. Putting our faith in any human is a perfect recipe for disaster. A reminder to look to God is a flawless "central message." 

God really hates deception. He can see our thoughts and knows our hearts and loves us anyway. Humans, too often, have our own agendas. God is always truthful and trustworthy. Satan twists the truth and whispers for us to twist it, too. No lie is little. Each one makes our souls a little heavier. These are the burdens we were never meant to carry. 

A central message at the core of the Bible is a reminder to trust and take refuge in the Lord. He is our Creator, Sustainer, Shelter, Rescuer, Shepherd, Healer, Friend, Savior, and King. He is trustworthy. We humans are all sinful, but he still hears our cries for help when we seek His face. Keep seeking. Keep holding on the the message at the core of His Word:

One more time:

"It is better to take refuge in the Lord  than to trust in people." -Psalm 118:8

That verse is worth marking in your Bible! It is like that first coffee of the day. It is necessary, comforting, and wonderful. 

Today, I am grateful for the central message.