A Weekend Wedding

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 275: Today, I am grateful for a weekend wedding.

There is nothing like a wedding to remind us of the wonder of love. Love is a choice we make every day. Love is days of smiles and laughter... and there are days when you are exhausted and maybe even grumpy. Love says, "I choose you!" on those days and every day in-between. We are excited to celebrate with this young couple. 

I can only imagine the excitement of the bride and groom as the countdown to "Mr. and Mrs." begins. We saw the bride's parents get married. And, we remember when the Bride and her sister were dedicated at church. To see her grow up and into the woman she has become makes our hearts full. To see her love and be loved fully and deeply in return... it is as good as it gets. 

On the other side of the coin, my Mama's best friend (along with Aunt Judy) went to heaven and her life was celebrated on Sunday and Monday. I was unable to attend, but I have a link and will watch it this weekend. We called her "Aunt" Marilyn because "Mrs." was too formal for one so close but we needed the respect of a title. We went through life with several "Aunts" and "Uncles" that were by love and not by birth or marriage. (We had extra Grandparents, too.) Aunt Marilyn helped Mama with our weddings and she was always present.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son." -Matthew 22:2

There are earthly celebrations and heavenly ones, too. Both remind us that love is truly the greatest truly a gift. 

Today, I am grateful for a weekend wedding. 

The Unexpected

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 274: Today, I am grateful for the unexpected.   

This picture cracked me up. 

"I'll be honest, I never in a million years thought I'd catch one of you guys. But right now, I need you to help me get down."

 Our Daisy Mae's biggest nemesis is a squirrel in the backyard. That squirrel gets quite sassy with her. She never loses interest. It is as if she is sure she will catch it one of these days. She won't. She simply is not fast enough and cannot climb trees. 

If she did catch it, it would be unexpected. There are times that we get the unexpected and are not quite sure what to do with it. The unexpected often slows us down, which can be a good thing. There are times we need to pause and pivot. 

The Bible is full of the unexpected. I think of Mary and Joseph and the unexpected circumstances around her pregnancy and the birth of Jesus. They became masters of the pause and pivot when the unexpected came their way. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

To be called, carried, or guided into the unexpected can feel like a test. The test often becomes the testimony. 

Today, I am grateful for the unexpected. 

Reliable Transportation

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 273: Today, I am grateful for reliable transportation. 

As we turn the calendar page and welcome October, I am confident my seat warmers will soon be in use. We call them "bun" or "butt" warmers around here and they are one of my favorite features on my car. The technology is no longer new, but my current car is the first one I've ever owned with that luxury option. Randy's truck has a heated steering wheel, too. 

Honestly, I need to remember to be grateful for a vehicle that runs well enough to get me where I need to go every day. Reliable transportation is not something to take for granted. 

Years ago, a friend gifted me with this verse:

"the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."-Psalm 121:8

It is a simple reminder that we can make plans and have big ideas, but Yahweh is Lord over it all.

I need to be grateful in the sweet moments and patient in the waiting spots. I need to offer thanks for reliable transportation.

Today, I am grateful for reliable transportation. 

Discernment

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 272: Today, I am grateful for discernment.

When you are looking to build a team, it is good to be surrounded with people who have discernment. 

Discernment is wisdom that comes from God. His Spirit urges us in directions we may not take if it were not for His presence in our lives. 

Everything in discernment of spirits is directed toward action: toward firmly accepting what is of God and equally firmly rejecting what is not. -Timothy A. Gallagher

Knowing what is good and of God and knowing what is not is a powerful kind of knowledge. 

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." -1 Corinthians 2:14

There are times that you know God is leading. Sometimes you are equally sure He is blocking the way. Sometimes He lets us have our way, because we will not let it go. Discernment leans into His Spirit, His will, and His way. They are the whispers and urges that we cannot explain. 

Today, I am grateful for discernment.

Seekers

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 271: Today, I am grateful for the seekers.

My mind quickly went to the Harry Potter series game of Quidditch. The seekers were the ones trying to capture the "snitch" that ends the game. It is played on flying brooms. Each team has seven players on flying brooms (yes, it is fantasy). Here are the teams: 

Chasers (3 players): Their main objective is to score goals by throwing the Quaffle through one of the opponent's three hoops, earning 10 points for each goal.

Beaters (2 players): They use bats to hit Bludgers away from their teammates and towards the opposing team, protecting their Chasers and Keeper.

Keeper (1 player): This player guards the goal hoops, attempting to block the opposing team's Chasers from scoring.

Seeker (1 player): The Seeker's primary role is to catch the Golden Snitch, which is worth 150 points and ends the game when caught.

The Harry Potter illustration may seem odd to some, but it was such a great reminder of the many ways we are all seekers. The enemy of our soul sends bludgers (flying iron balls) to knock us off course. Our human minds are easily distracted by other things. We are told to seek first the Kingdom of God. What are His priorities? Do we make them ours? Are we seekers?

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Matthew 6:33

"All the things" has become a common phrase. In Him, "all the things" is a true sense of peace, contentment, and knowing we are loved is enough. He is our "enough."

“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

Today, I am grateful for the seekers.

His Enduring Word

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 270: Today, I am grateful for His enduring Word. 

Isaiah 40:8 states: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." This verse emphasizes the transient nature of life and the enduring nature of God's word.

There are so many echoes from the Old Testament into the New Testament. It is a constant reminder that the O.T. foreshadows the N.T. and the N.T. reveals the mysteries in the O.T. I love to note them in my Bible margins. Here is one for the Isaiah 40:8 passage:

1 Peter 1:24-25 echoes this sentiment, stating: "For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever."

What are the things that endure? When we reach a certain age, we realize that 50 years goes by pretty fast. We have now put a second roof on our home, because we have been here 30 years. The first one did not seem to be that long ago. Time is the strangest thing, even to our human minds. For our eternal God, David notes that "a day is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day." No wonder our ideas, plans and time frames do not match up with his. 

Our God breath... our soul breath... brought dust to life. 

" then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." Genesis 2:7 

God breathed. I love that part! His Word endures and it is good. His breath gave us life. Jesus's last breath on the cross paid our sin debt. His first victory breath in resurrection ensures us victory, too. The grave is not the end. Where we spend eternity is an invitation, a decision, and a destination anchored in a free-will decision that leads to a real relationship, hope, and a future. From Genesis to Revelation, it is a continuing story of His love for us. 

Today, I am grateful for His enduring Word. 

Sunrise & Sunset

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 269: Today, I am grateful for te sunrise and sunset. 

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! -Psalm 113:3

Before electricity, sunrise and sunset were markers for the work day. Some things required a lantern before dawn or after sunset, but for the majority of labor happened between those two day markers.

Sunrise always feels like a fresh start. From sunset to sunrise, there is rest and restoration. The calm and quiet that follows the sunset helps us unwind, if we let it. 

Sunrise and sunset are the beautiful bookends on each day. 

Today, I am grateful for the sunrise and sunset.