The Little Something Extras

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 126: Today, I am grateful for the little something extras.

"So many people need a hug, a forehead kiss, and a grilled cheese cut diagonal." 

This was on Pinterest. It made me smile. Oh the simple things that communicate warmth and caring. The first two are common acts of caring, but the last one was perfection. A grilled cheese cut diagonal is the extra step that makes it easier to eat. When the kids were little, flipping it to make it look like a butterfly was an easy way to serve it. 

What are the little something extras that cost nothing or next to nothing but show great love, compassion or kindness? 

"Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Cor 16:14

Today, I am grateful for the little something extras.

Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving.

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 125: Today, I am grateful for guidance "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving."

On my top ten list of books is "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino. It is a short read and described as a parable by some. At the heart of it are the Ten Scrolls to Success. I would call few books outside of the Bible "life-changing" but that book is an exception. 

If you have not read it, grab it. I recommend taking a little time with it. Brew each chapter until it all makes sense. I need to re-read it, as it has been awhile. 

The last scroll aligns with this scripture passage well. It says "I will pray for guidance." 

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

To be prayerful and thankful in all things with supplication is the instruction. Supplication should not be deemed outdated and archaic. It is a practice that changes everything. Supplication is literally more begging than asking and it is paired with humility. Og Mandino sums it  up with "I will pray for guidance."

Thanksgiving is the bow on the offered prayer. A humble prayer offered with humility and thanksgiving stands out from the prayers that sound more like a letter to Santa than a request from the God of the Universe. Our souls long for the intimacy with our Lord that is unlocked when we kneel before him with humble prayers seeking His help and guidance with gratitude. 

Now, I am off to "Greet this day with love in my heart." (Scroll two is one of my favorites.) 

Today, I am grateful for guidance "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving."

Relationship Expectations

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 124: Today, I am grateful for relationship expectations. 

Part of choosing a spouse (or  a close friend) is knowing the relationship expectations. In dating, we learn if the relationship works. We all have our quirks, non-negotiables,  and priorities. In finding that person who is a good balance to our own quicks, but shares our same common priorities, we can work every day to honor and protect the relationship. They are the kind of relationships that last a lifetime. 

This scripture is a timeless reminder of who God is and his promise to those who seek His face. 

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14

The relationship has expectations. When we love someone deeply and truly, we work to change ways that are offensive and irritating to them. In a relationship with God, we must not forget who He is. He is still holy. 

Sin... especially the sin of arrogance, is like a peanut allergy. Dangerous and deadly. Areas must be scrubbed clean. His holiness cannot tolerate sin. It destroys our ability to be close to Him. 

To be in a constant relationship with someone who suffers a peanut allergy means we must change our grocery list and our diet. We have to change our cravings, too. As parents, we do it for our child out of fierce love and the need to protect. In relationships, we must decide what we can sacrifice to keep the person we love safe. It requires intentional decisions and changed behaviors. 

God sent his Son that we might be cleansed and healed, so that we can enter into His house and presence. We make changes out of love, not fear. He brings healing to our lives and wants to bring healing to our land. 

Today, I am grateful for relationship expectations. 

To Be

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 123: Today, I am grateful for reminders "to be."  

This was my verse of the day. 

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." -Romans 12:12

It landed on my soul like manna in the desert. That 40 years held a lot about learning to be content in your circumstances. The desert years were about learning trust, obedience, and patience. I, like the Israelites, often flunk the patience test. Never fear. There is always a "retake" test so that we can grow. 

In the morning worship we are currently studying Acts. That is a book I need to spend more time reading. It scared me as a kid. All I saw were the beatings and the hate for those who claimed victory through Jesus. I feared, as a child, that I could not withstand something so hard. 

As an adult, I see the miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit moving in every chapter. I see the community that insured those who were in prison, hungry, orphaned, or widowed were never alone. There was always enough. Perhaps not ample and plentiful, but there was enough. When the huge, heavy temple curtain ripped from the top down... think about that... everything changed. God's Spirit set free! 

 "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split." -Matthew 27:50-51a

We get "to be" in the presence of the Almighty God. Not just knowing he is omnipotent and omnipresent, but experiencing the daily ordinary walk with Him, or simply being in His presence. Remember when Moses asked God his name, so that he would be able to tell the Pharaoh (his Grandpa by adoption) who sent him? God replied, "Tell them "I AM" sent you. I AM is part of the "be" verbs. They are the first conjunctions we learn in any new language we are seeking to learn. 

The great "I AM" is living, moving, and present. Not past tense, but fully present. We get to celebrate in hope. We learn patience waiting on His direction. We can talk to Him constantly and he inhabits it. He left His Holy Spirit, so we would never BE alone. 

Hard times, bad days, and troubles are real. We are not exempt, but He never leaves or forsakes His children. 

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

To Be Heard

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 122: Today, I am grateful to be heard. 

Knowing we are heard is sometimes enough. We may not be able to change our situation, but we want to be heard and understood. We know that "according to His will" is not always in alignment with our desires. It is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done." 

For me, there is a comfort in knowing the prayers of His children are heard. What we think we want may not be what is best for us now. He sees the whole puzzle put together while we live out our little chapters and ordinary days. 

I love to get down on the level of small children and watch their little minds work as they figure out the world. They do not miss a beat and they use the vocabulary they have. "A headache in my stomach" is one that comes to mind. Sometimes, understanding is limited by our language or our perspective.  

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." -1 John 5:14-15

To be heard, to be held, and to be loved. It is all a part of being "known."  

Today, I am grateful to be heard. 

Making the Best

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 121: Today, I am grateful we can "make the best" of everything. 

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything." -unknown

This is the power of reframing. It is not rose-colored glasses. It is more than optimism. It is evaluating, re-evaluation, and recognizing there is a "worse than" scenario for most tough times, trials, and struggles. It matters who you take along on the ride. 

If you plant ten seeds and only three flowers grow, you still have fresh flowers to enjoy. Not every investment has the intended and expected return. 

Corrie Ten Boom, Victor Frankl, and even excerpts from Anne Frank's diary remind us of the power of what we tell ourselves about a situation. In the early part of my life, the concentration camp survivors often hid the tattoos on their arms. For some, it was a shame they should have never carried. For others there was still fear. For some, it was the past they could not change but they hated the daily reminder on their wrist. Honestly, some things are too horrific to tell the story again and again. They made their best of the days they had left.  They are the stories that show the power of making the best of what you have. 

Faith, hope, and love are the game changer. Greet the day with those three ingredients and the day will go better. 

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 

Today, I am grateful we can "make the best" of everything.

The Unique

 

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 120 Today, I am grateful for the unique. 

Isn't it incredible that each one of us is unique? Even identical twins have differences. We are originals... each one of us. It is something to celebrate. 

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” -Psalm 139:14-15

Fearfully and wonderfully made! Fearfully suggests a sense of awe and reverence for the work of God that happens in the womb. Wonderfully is a word we hear often that celebrates every nuance. The Lord delights in our uniqueness. 

None of us is perfect. There is something beautiful in learning to celebrate imperfection as part of our uniqueness. 

The Love-of-my-Life has a new show he is watching. We both enjoy it and it is okay if I fall asleep because it has not storyline. It is called "The Repair Shop" and master artisans repair broken things that have been worn out by use, life, or mishaps. Often the item needing repaired has been handed down from parents or grandparents. One of the questions they are clear about it if the owner wants the item restored to its full and former glory, or if they want to leave signs that it has been loved a long time. Most often, they choose to leave a little reminder of the past. They rarely choose perfect. Perfection would replace the uniqueness of the item. 

Embrace your uniqueness today. Sing, dance, draw, and dazzle a world that needs your special superpower... what ever it is. My little brother says my Mama's hugs were her superpower. I'd like to think it is one of the things she passed on to me. 

Unpack and celebrate your unique gifts and talents today. Honestly, the world needs you. 

Today, I am grateful for the unique.