Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Bookmarks

Daily Gratitude Year 9-Day 153: Today, I am grateful for bookmarks.

Bookmarks can be simple or fancy. They are humble little tools that help us find our place in a book... or in 2021... on a web page. 

There are crafty corner bookmarks like the one in this image. There are the traditional oblong columns with a tassel that make us think "bookmark" when we see them. There are paperclips and torn pieces of paper that work well, too. Let us not forget the modern wonder of the post-it note. They are perfect for keeping our place.

I am not a fan of "dog earing". I don't like my pages bent. It feels disrespectful, as it causes permanent damage. Somehow, I've always imagined it brought the book a little pain.  Any used envelope can have the corner torn off to create a quick bookmark, and those arrive with junk mail every day.  No need to bend paged. 

As we go through life, there are times we all may get the feeling we have "lost our place". For some, it is when the kids leave the house. Perhaps the loss of a spouse, a sibling, a job, a friend, a title or another relationship brings  you to a space of feeling like you have lost your place. 

Rest assured, dear friend, Jesus is our bookmark. His Holy Spirit comforts us through our days. When we wonder how and why we landed where we are... he is with us. With our God, there are no accidents. Only things we do not understand. If we live long enough, we start to see the puzzle pieces fall into place. Sometimes there are many pages between our questions and the answers, if they come at all in this lifetime. 

There are two passages I have bookmarked in most of my Bibles. They mean the world to me because they show how long it can take for God to answer our prayers. He hears them and responds, but we may not be able to see his hand for seasons... or even generations. 

Remember Job? Satan attacked him again and again to test his faith in God. Job in his brokenness spoke these words:

“God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength. " -Job 9:32-35

Here is God's answer in Jesus:

"My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. -1 John 2 :1-2

We all have seasons that mark us, change and rearrange our lives. It is good to have reminders of our place and our worth in the family of God. We are chosen and beloved... like a favorite old book full of bookmarks. 

Today, I am grateful for bookmarks

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