Lessons in Self Control

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 252: Today, I am grateful for lessons in self control. 

Titus 2:2 was my verse of the day. Paul's letters to Titus are full of good instructions for living well in all seasons of life. He speaks about living well in community. Today's verse addresses older men, but it has good lessons for everyone. 

"Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience." -Titus 2:2

One of Dad's favorite sayings was, "It takes a long time to screw an old man's head on a young man's body." In other words, maturity takes time, life lessons, mistakes, and experiences. You can read for wisdom and forget the instruction. Living the mistakes and victories makes them stick. 

Lessons in self control are even more challenging in a world with social media. Never have we lived in a world where it is more challenging to sort out truth from fiction and A.I. Things are said and done that cannot be unseen and undone. The internet has a long memory. Wise words are better than words spewed in anger. 

Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Does it show love and patience? Self control is an exercise every day that is worth practicing. If something needs to be spoken, let it brew, let it stew, and let His word lead the conversation. Not in bits and pieces, but in context with self control. 

Today, I am grateful for lessons in self control. 

Dress for the Day

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 251: Today, I am grateful we can "dress for the day."

A long time ago... in a galaxy far away... well, actually, it was forty years ago at Olivet Nazarene University, we had to "dress for the day." I remember friends who went to U of I and ISU talking about rolling into class in sweatpants. I couldn't even imagine it, nor could they imagine putting on actual, respectable clothing daily.

I've always preferred dresses to pants. I am truly my mother's daughter. We were allowed to wear dress pants, but it was never my first choice. Jeans weren't legally permitted until after 5 p.m. We had to wear dress clothes during the school week and on Sundays. Miraculously, we survived without physical injury and emerged at graduation with fully functional professional closets.

Even back then, the dress code rules seemed ridiculous and archaic to some. Science has since weighed in on the matter, with studies on classroom attire yielding mixed results. But let's be honest: how you show up matters. First impressions—whether in a job interview or on exam day—signal that you mean business and are actually prepared.

I love sparkle, glitter, and shine. (If it doesn't catch the light, is it even worth wearing?) Yet, I am reminded that it’s far more important to shine from the inside-out."

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." -1 Peter 3:3-4

The gals in this picture are ready for a Target run, a trip to Walmart, or coffee with friends. The only thing missing? Tiaras. Honestly, I find them inspiring.

So, dress for the day with your own sense of style. Be comfortable in your own skin. Be unapologetically yourself. Wear whatever helps you take on the world.

Today, I am grateful we can "dress for the day."

Grace in Breaking Camp

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 250: Today, I am grateful for the grace in "breaking camp." 

I read this passage today and it came alive in a different way than it ever has before. When God says it is time to move... we had better move. 

“When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough.  It is time to break camp and move on." -Deuteronomy 1:6-7a

I dug into the passage a little bit. It was where they were when God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. It is where they felt some spiritual highs and lows. They literally had miracle manna every morning and no one went hungry or thirsty. They did get bored with the menu. 

God allows different spaces and places for us to learn to know him better. Whenever it is time to move on from what is comfortable, it is not easy. It does not mean that the next place will not be good or even better. It does not mean the journey will be a piece of manna. Still, when it is time to break camp, we have to trust His hand and His heart. 

Today, I am grateful for the grace in "breaking camp." 

Your "Yellow"

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 249: Today, I am grateful for the "yellows" in our days.

I love the color yellow. It makes me think of Jennifer, Lola (Sisters-in-Love), and Emma (Daughter-in-Love). My love for it has grown because of them. It is one of the happiest colors in the spectrum. It is a primary color, making it necessary for other blended colors. 

"Who is your yellow?" 

"Yellow is someone who brings sunshine into your life without even trying. They're your warmth on a bad day, your loudest laugh, your comfort in silence. They brighten even your darkest moments just by being there."

The "yellow" people are warm, constant and true. They show up when you need them most and they stay. 

"I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts," -Colossians 4:8 

I am grateful for those who bring the "yellow" to our days. 

Today, I am grateful for the "yellows" in our days. 

Reminders Not To Judge

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 248: Today, I am grateful for the reminder to not judge others. 

"We witness other people's storms from the shelter of our own perspectives. Let us be mindful that we don't add the cold rain of judgement to their already soaked spirits." -Liz Newman

The phrase "the cold rain of judgment" creates a powerful image. It holds no encouragement, comfort, or hope.  When people are hurting, a spirit of corrective-ness is not a "Fruit of the Spirit." 

Love lifts others up. Listening builds relationships. The storms do not last forever.  

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." -Matthew 7:1-2

Today, I am grateful for the reminder to not judge others. 

Grand Adventures in Ordinary Days

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 247: Today, I am grateful for grand adventures in ordinary days. 

"Give them the kind of childhood that needs a bath afterward. Creek water on their shoes. Grass stains on their knees. Mud on their hands. And stories they can't wait to tell." 

This image took me back to my childhood. Mama put us out to play and we could come in for meals, the bathroom, and injuries. She did not referee sibling disagreements. She made us figure them out. If you ever said you were bored, Mama could fill our boredom with work. 

We played in the corn crib, climbed the walls of the old red barn, played with the Corbin grandchildren when they visited Case and Gladys, and filled our days with as many friends and cousins as we could. 

I have a theory about language and creeks. It seems to me any little stream was a creek, but when it was on  your property, it was a "crick." I do not know for sure. It might just be the more country term. I do know that we spent our days in the creek, chasing kittens, and creating pottery from the claylike mud. 

At the end of our long lane was a little house my Uncle Bobby made in shop class in high school when I was little. We used it for bus shelter during the school year. April and I loved that little getaway that was all our own. It sat near the mulberry tree that grew in the big ditch. We would race to beat the birds to the mulberries when they were ripe. We would sweep the dirt out, wash the one window, and play the days away. The "crick" provided plenty of wildlife, wild asparagus, and wildflowers to observe. 

"Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." -Genesis 1:11-12

It was very good!

Today, I am grateful for grand adventures in ordinary days. 

Lyrics

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 246: Today, I am grateful for the song lyrics that provide companionship through ordinary days. 

I am not sure we grasp the depth of companionship music provides. Each one of us has a soundtrack of our lives. From childhood through today's top ten hits, music is a constant companion and at times... a friend. 

What is the first movie soundtrack you remember? I remember the season of CB radio popularity that arrived with "truckers songs" that seemed abundant after "Smokey and the Bandit" became a hit movie. Musical scores from Disney had us all singing along. In time, some of the lines and phrasing is woven into our daily speech. 

There are times song lyrics come to mind before other thoughts get organized. It is why the kind of music and lyrics we choose matters. Lyrics can provide the right words at the right time. Christmas hymns reach back hundreds of years, keeping the past connected to the future. "Let Heaven and nature sing!"

"Country Roads... take me home" by John Denver has become a classic for people feeling a little homesick. Have you ever looked at your muddy paws pup and thought "You ain't nothing but a hound dog?" 

Lyrics are powerful. 

"Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart" ~ Ephesians 5:19

Today, I am grateful for the song lyrics that provide companionship through ordinary days.