Low Bowing Branches

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 264: Today, I am grateful for low bowing branches.

"The branch that bears the most fruit bows the lowest."

What is the story behind the branch that bears the most fruit? For most, there was some kind of pruning in the process. It has not been neglected and left on its own. It receives care. It gets cut back at the right time to result in new strength and more fruit at the end of the season.   

The branch that bears the most fruit has been tended by the gardener or farmer. It has been watered and pruned. Water is life giving and life sustaining. Pruning is painful, but it forces the plant to become resilient. Pruning makes it stronger. It results in more fruit, but for season it can look sad as it builds a stronger branch.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5

"Remain in me and I in you." Attached to the vine, we grow stronger. We are sustained in every season. Painful pruning is not punishment, but care. It keeps us closer to the vine. "No pain - no gain" is an exercise motto that encourages athletes to push through the hard days. Press on.

The stronger the branch, the more fruit it can bear. When a branch is loaded with fruit, it bows the lowest which makes it assessible to those who need it the most. The season of pruning in the painful part of the story, but it is what makes the harvest rich and reachable. Loaded low bowing branches feed the hungry. 

Today, I am grateful for low bowing branches.

Good Directions

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 263: Today, I am grateful for good directions.

Good directions make a difference. This day of GPS assistance has us quite spoiled. It builds our courage to go places we have never been. Good direction gives us courage. 

He is either the Lord of our lives, or He isn’t. Sometimes we wrestle with His will. Other times, it flows naturally. There is an element of practice in submission to His will. It might be compared to any exercise, sport, or task that has been practiced until there is  a sense of “muscle memory.” 

We can feel when we are walking in His will, and when we are not. Our human nature fights against it. The battle for control can cheat us of  the peace and contentment that He desires to bestow on His children. 

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” 

-Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Good instruction and good directions make all the difference in our days. 

Today, I am grateful for good directions.

Choose What We Water

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 262: Today, I am grateful we can choose which thoughts we water. 

"It's the thoughts we water each day that become the garden we live in." 

The summer is slipping into fall. The flowers we have enjoyed all summer are being replaced by more cold weather hardy plants. They all need water to survive. Water makes the difference in what lives and flourishes. 

Our thoughts can act as "water," so we must... at times... guard the thoughts that flow from our heart.  

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." -Proverbs 4:23 

Today, I am grateful we can choose which thoughts we water. 

Huffle-Buffs: Old Faves

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 261: Today, I am grateful for "huffle-buffs."

Huffle-Buffs (Scots) those old, worn out, yet comfortable items of clothing. 

Finding new words always feels like finding hidden treasure. This one has Scottish origins. It is an old Scots dialect word.

I've seen it used to describe clothing, but blankets, too. For me, it would especially work for some old coats and favorite shoes. I did my part to keep Fred's Shoe Repair in business when it was a convenient drop off in Peoria. Fred would always start with "this is the last time we can repair these boots or shoes." I knew he was right, but it was hard. He was gentle and seemed to understand. That final warning gave me time to start looking for the right replacement. 

I think the huffle-buffs are the things that by the time you are ready to part with them, you would be embarrassed to donate them. They are cozy, comfy, and spark sweet memories. Just writing about them makes me smile. 

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." -1 Timothy 6:8

To be comfortable and content is as good as it gets. 

Today, I am grateful for "huffle-buffs."

Who Stands With You?

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 260: Today, I am grateful for the ones who stand in the rain with you. 

"It's about who stands in the rain with you, when they also have a choice to be dry. Remember that."

When I saw this, Earworm started singing an old song by Superchick. "Stand in the Rain." (If you are new here, Earworm sings the songs that get stuck in your head and won't go away.) It is a great old song that is filled with the reminder that there are hard times, but we get through them. There are times we simply have to stand in the rain and stand our ground. There are times the rain falls. 

"Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.” -Deuteronomy 3:22

There will be lonely days, hard days, and rainy days, but we are not alone. 

Knowing that, when you find a human who chooses to stand with you in the rain when they could choose to be dry... that is someone to remember, honor, and cherish.  Simple acts of kindness can feel like an umbrella on a rainy day... or hope when it seems lost. 

Today, I am grateful for the ones who stand in the rain with you. 

Nice Sounds

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 259: Today, I am grateful for nice sounds.

A List of Nice Sounds:

*Rain on the window pane
*Leaves rustling in the wind
*A crackling fire
*Turning book pages
*Distant church bells
*Quiet Voices
*Crickets chirping on a still summer night. 

In a world full of noise and distractions, a reminder to focus on "nice sounds" is a worthy way to spend a little part of the day. 

Crickets are chirping right now. The sound of an early morning garbage pick up reminds me to be thankful for the service. The sound of the coffee maker brewing is always sweet music to the ears and the scent is divine. The gentle tap on the computer keys is soothing for me. 

Nice sounds calm us and give a gentle entry into a new day or a restful one when day is done. 

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing His praise from the ends of the earth.” – Isaiah 42:10

A new song can be a gentle hum. I am reminded that praise does not need to be shouted as I listen to this morning's quiet combination of nature mixed with morning sounds. 

Today, I am grateful for nice sounds.

Be the Light

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 258: Today, I am grateful for reminders to be the light.

"Maybe your purpose is to light the way for others who are still searching..." 

"Light" has been a word I've used in the past to ponder and pray on. It is still one of my favorites. The science of light is masterfully designed by a God who called it "good" in the very beginning. 

Light is so powerful that a single candle can break the darkness. It is not easily hidden. How many lives has the lighthouse saved over the centuries? When all seems hopeless or lost, light breaks through the darkness with gentle power. 

As the days are getting shorter, we tend to treasure the light more. We appreciate the time we have in daylight, because we know it is limited in the fall and winter days. 

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." -Matthew 5:15

You do not know who is searching for the Light of the World. Shine on, anyway. 

Today, I am grateful for reminders to be the light.