I Am

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 242:  Today, I am grateful for "I am."

"I am." Two of the most powerful words. For what you put after them shapes your reality." TobyMac, Speak Life

I love this. The "I Am" name for God has always been a favorite from me. It is not a question. It is a clear answer. From the beginning of time... I Am. 

He speaks and the universe takes shape. He commands the winds, the waves, the stars, and the moons. He is omnipotent. 

Still, the great I Am chooses to be a part of our humble, earthly existence with the limitations of time and space. 

The same I Am, calls us to His heart. The same heart we break over and over again. He offers adoption and citizenship. The price? It  has been paid. Jesus, the Son, paid our debt in full. Our part is to humbly repent, believe, receive, and be redeemed. In exchange for freedom and forever. 

"So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family." -Ephesians 2:19

We get to call him "Father!" Does it get any better? 

Today, I am grateful for "I Am."

The Richness of Less

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 241:  Today, I am grateful for the richness of less. 

"All you need is less." -Toby Mac

A couple of years ago,  a friend encouraged me to read the book "Seven." It was a powerful look at living with less. You would select seven articles of clothing and seven foods (easy for Randy... hard for me). 

I did not do the challenge, but I have not forgotten the lessons. 

It, also, included reducing things like social media. We can be overwhelmed by information in this modern day. Reducing these things can give us more margins in our lives. It gives us back time. 

Mama Ina Mae used to say, "Sometimes, less is more." She was a fan of Audrey Hepburn classic look. You never go wrong with a little black dress. The simplicity of them makes them unstoppable.  Dress them up or add a jean jacket. A black dress can go almost anywhere. (Full disclosure, I probably have seven black dresses I wear.)

What do we really need? Food, shelter, clothing, relationships, income, a purpose, and... most importantly... God (the Holy Trinity). Keeping things simple helps us create some of the best moments. A big table with family and friends sharing, caring, laughing, and crying... with a cup of water, coffee or tea...it is enough. 

Less is often just right. It lightens the load. I can even spark creativity. 

"And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." -2 Corinthians 9:8

He provides all that we need. The poorest around us are often the quickest to share. 

Today, I am grateful for the richness of less. 

         

Squishy Ice

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 240:  Today, I am grateful for  squishy ice.

I know that water at room temperature is probably better for our bodies. Still, I prefer cold water. Really cold. At work, we have a commercial ice machine that is perfect for events, but I use it almost daily. It makes what I call "squishy ice." like the kind found in fountain soda machines. 

Big ice cubes are too hard for biting safely. Crushed ice melts way too fast. In Goldilocks fashion, squishy ice is just right. It helps me get through the 32 oz of water I try to drink during the workday (after my hot beverages). 

"God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water." -Job 37:10

Squishy ice is a true work week luxury for me. Ice is a modern convenience that is easily taken for granted. 

We all lived a little differently before modern day freezers. I was not born before the freezer. I do recall when it became a feature in home refrigerators. I am still grateful for any fridge that has an automatic ice maker. 

I remember filling metal ice cube trays as a kid, so ice was used sparingly if the crowd was large. The plastic trays made it a little easier. Then came ice makers... and squishy ice.  

Today, I am grateful for  squishy ice.

The Difference Makers

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 239:  Today, I am grateful for the difference makers. 

Difference Maker (n)- A dedicated person who can make a big impact even with just a small action or a few words; Someone who improves the lives of others; One who encourages others to propel themselves forward and bring about change. 

How many difference makers will we encounter today? The joyful person in the toll booth or the drive through coffee line can impact our day. What about the bagger at the grocery store who makes sure the eggs, bread, and bananas are safe from breaking, blemish, or bruises. 

Ordinary acts of kindness or thoughtfulness can change our days. 

I could write about them all day long. All we have to do is look. The fullness of our days can cause us to miss the things that really matter. 

I am so grateful that our local Kroger hires people who others may overlook because they have special needs. They are some of the best grocery packers on the team. I am especially grateful for the cashiers who encourage them and treat them with kindness in return. 

Bus Drivers, custodians, and aides are some of the first and last people students encounter every day as they come and go in a teacher's classroom. Every day they come in with the expectation of serving with their hands and their hearts. 

My years at St. Jude,  the people who cleaned our patient and office spaces knew the importance of their work. Our patients needed clean, safe spaces. 

The child who sings while we clean and bandage their wounds is a difference maker. Joy is not found in our circumstances. Joy is a gift from above that we can freely sprinkle as needed. It costs nothing. 

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"-Galatians 5:22-23

Today, I am grateful for the difference makers. 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 238:  Today, I am grateful for April. 

Every year, the date comes and goes. 8-26-95 is forever in our memories. Dad and Mama stopped by Matt's office at the John Deere dealership in Clifton where Matthew worked at the time on the way home from their weekly Gideon breakfast. 

It was exactly two weeks before April would be married on the family farm. She spent 15 months serving on Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, where she met the love of her life, Mark Miller. He was a Marine. She was in the Air Force. He was tender with her gentle heart. He adored her. September 9, 1995, they would be wed. She was 27... not quite 28 years old. 

As Mama, Dad, and Matt chatted in his office, a car pulled up outside. The gentleman asked for directions to the Ken Lindgren farm. They laughed and said, "His son works here and he and his wife are back in Matt's office." So, they directed the gentleman back to where Dad, Mama, and Matthew would receive life changing news. The Air Force Chaplain pulled out the letter. 

You know... the one in movies... Mr. and Mrs. Lindgren, we regret to inform you that your daughter has died in service to our country. That letter. She did not die in battle. Her fiancé found her in her apartment the next morning.  April had "fallen asleep" while talking to Mark on the phone.  

From Matt's desk, I received the call in Peoria. They were together, as only God could have planned for the news, and our hearts broke together when they called. We could only imagine what Mark was feeling on the other side of the world. 

There was wedding tulle from one end of my parents house to the other. There was a wedding to cancel and a funeral to plan. Long distance guests to wedding guests and funeral service details to work out. It was surreal. Shock is a beautiful thing. You go through the motions until you can feel again. 

Jennifer was very pregnant with Ciara. She came early to give us joy near April's birthday. This year, Matt and Jennifer's youngest, Kenzie (and Steven) will be married on September 13th. That same hard week in September has been redeemed in a celebration of love and marriage. We are excited for them. 

As my own children have passed that age when April died, I can only imagine what my parents endured. Chase was four at the time. Losing a sibling changes you forever. They are supposed to be a part of your forever story. Now Matthew, Jennifer, Randy, and I have walked that path of sibling loss. We will never forget them. 

Losing a child is unspeakable pain. I prayed that it would help me serve my St. Jude families better in my time there. My heart for the siblings grew. They can be the forgotten mourners. 

Our last words were, "I love you. See you soon." For her, that is true. For us, 30 years seems long and other days like a blink. 

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end." -Ecclesiastes 3:11 

He makes all things beautiful in His time. I am grateful for the things we learn in loss and for the ways God redeems the days, the dates, and the years. 

Today, I am grateful for April. 
 

All That I Am

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 237:  Today, I am grateful "all that I am" can praise the Lord. 

After Sunday's recharge, Monday comes. It happens every week. We go back to the daily tasks that fill our schedule. 

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me." -Psalm 103:2

Monday tasks are part of the "all that I am." We can celebrate the goodness of having a purpose not just for our days, but for our days in Him. 

Do we claim this day as an opportunity to praise Him with every fiber of our being? "All that I am" leaves nothing out. We are living, breathing, and moving beings. 

Praise him at the coffee maker or making the bed. 
Praise him at the stoplight that just turned red. 
We can praise him in the flowers and when covered in flour, too.
He longs to fill our days and to make our hearts new. 

Today, I am grateful "all that I am" can praise the Lord. 

Behold God in Everything

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 236:  Today, I am grateful we can behold God in everything. 

"The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything." -Julian of Norwich

This is so true. It is at the heart of working gratitude. 

Gratitude is an action verb. It is so much more than a feeling. It is intentional and it is powerful. Joy is a by-product of gratitude. 

Think about the everyday items you used today that make your life more comfortable. If someone invented it, is a product of their labor. For some, it was accidental. For others, there were days, weeks, months, and perhaps even years of trying and failing. Getting some things right takes time... and God's timing. 

Do we behold God in the failures as much as the successes? His hand is always present. 

Already this morning, we have used a coffee maker, indoor "water closets" for creature comforts, and this crazy communication tool we call the internet. We access it with a communication device that can store all of our photos. I have the Holy Bible at my fingertips in dozens of translations, plus access to the original Greek and Hebrew. How can we not behold God in everything? 

Before you plug in the coffeemaker or tea kettle for the French Press, think about all of the other inventions that came first. Electricity and all of the wires that make it safe. The wires get better and better with new technology that leads to safer living spaces. What about all of the inventions that came before roasting the coffee (or cacao) beans? Every simple, delightful invention connects to others.

It all fits together in the time and space we know and understand. We do not always understand God's timing, but we can trust His heart, purpose, and plan. 

He is always present(omnipresent). Patiently waiting for it to all come together, as our freewill impacts it all. He is omnipotent, but chooses a relationship, longing for us to choose Him back. He allows us to make the worst of decisions... and we sometimes do... and then longs for our confession, repentance, His forgiveness, and a restored relationship. 

“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

Today, I am grateful we can behold God in everything... all things.

Signs of Maturity

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 235:  Today, I am grateful for signs of maturity. 

(It has been a full weekend, so today's late post is brief.) 

"Maturity is realizing how many things don't require your comment." -Rachel Wolchin

This week, many posts point to the challenges of managing our mouths. This quote was in the same theme. 

The older I get, the more I think about the wisdom in holding our tongues. Those thoughts dancing in our heads do not always need to be shared. "Is it encouraging? Is it helpful? Is it kind?"

I thought of the passage in James 3:4-6.

"And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself." 

Oh, the tongue is small but mighty. Oh, the power of choice! 

Today, I am grateful for signs of maturity. 

Troublesome Lips!

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 234:    Today, I am grateful for mouth and lip warnings. 

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" -Psalm 141:3

When I read this verse this morning, I could not help be recall an earlier post this week about duct/tape. I must need additional reminders going into the weekend. 

A careless word is like blowing a dandelion puff into the air. The seeds go everywhere. We cannot put them back. We do not know where they will land, where they will take root, or if they will be troublesome in the future. 

The mouth, lips, and tongue work together to give us clear speech. If any of the three are not in cooperation, messages can be unclear. 

In this day of social media, thoughts are spewed out as if they have no impact. Texting and emails can be equally troublesome with no tone of voice to accompany the words. Sarcasm is so easy to spew (and it can be funny), but it can be deeply wounding to another person's spirit, too. 

Some are able to choose words carefully and articulate with kindness; sometimes a guard at the door of the mouth and a lock on the lips is the better choice. 

The old saying holds rich truth, "Tis better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." 

Plant words with good intentions. Seed souls with encouragement. Speaking truth requires an unquestionable, unchanging source of truth. 

 Today, I am grateful for mouth and lip warnings. 

Comfortable vs. Tiring

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 233:    Today, I am grateful for an observation about comfortable versus tired.

Great Grandpa Lindgren(1899) and Great Grandpa Bess (1898) were born a year apart. For me, they had some similarities. They were storytellers and sought God's wisdom. They both loved God, the land and family. Both knew hard times and treasured the good ones. 

This quote made me think of them: 

"I will never forget when my grandfather said to me, "Our life was tiring for the body, but it was comfortable for the soul. Your life today is comfortable for the body, but it is tiring for the soul." 

I find it to be one of those declarations that makes me pause and ponder. There is definitely wisdom in the observation. When life was not as comfortable, work began before dawn and continued until sunset. Some days were longer than others. Something always needed "doing." 

Food came in fresh from gardens. Canning winter supplies was exciting and necessary. Modern refrigeration and freezers were game changers. Families often had only one car unless a truck was part of the husband's job. Recipes were exchanged like family treasures. Church ladies provided meals to members and neighbors with illness, death, or a new baby. Women were often bookkeepers and "Co-chairmen of the Board" for family businesses, keeping track of sales, receipts, and expenses. Everyone watched the weather and discussed the rainfall that would mean a good garden/crop or a poor one. 

Our Grandparents and Great-Grandparents experienced tired. They had lived through two World Wars, dust storms, the Great Depression, floods, hurricanes, and drought. They understood comfortable, too. From the letters, to the telegraph, and then Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, they saw communication evolve. They preferred sitting on a porch or at a kitchen table with friends. 

Hard work... God's "curse" for man's pride... also, gives him self respect when he looks in the mirror. It is a paradoxical truth. Work is hard on the body, and good for the soul for both men and women. The painful labor in childbirth, woman's curse, is exhausting and exhilarating. There is nothing like holding a newborn, nursing the baby to sleep,  and watching every season of childhood. Part of our hearts will leave with them when they grow and go. 

My friend, Carol, always said, "The days are long, but the years are short." She was correct. 

All of our current technology makes our days more comfortable, but at what cost? I learned to cook before microwaves, with my sister, April, at our Mama's side. There were so many conversations shared while skills were taught. 

My brother, Matthew, learned to farm when the Farmer's Almanac and a rain gauge were still consulted regularly and discussed with all of the neighbors at the local farmer coffee spots. A farmer still loves a rain gauge but raindrop.farm is probably more accurate. Now, we have radar to watch.

"“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10

We all have work to do today. I hope it tires your body more than your soul. 

  Today, I am grateful for an observation about comfortable versus tired.

The Glass is Refillable

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 232:  Today, I am grateful the glass is refillable. 

I loved this image. 

"People who wonder whether the glass is half empty or half full miss the point. The glass is refillable." 

The familiar reference to half-full(an optimist) and half-empty (a pessimist) is the generic test for determining our natural mindset. I like the additional reminder that neither is permanent. 

We can reframe our view of any situation to find what makes it better or at least bearable. I've observed this for decades. If we look for the best in the worst situations, we find it. We are all allowed our moments and days of brokenness. Life can be hard. But, attitudes count in recovery and survival stories. 

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." -Victor Frankl

The glass is refillable. He found that truth. Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Elliot, and so many others have, too. 

When Jesus was facing the cross, he asked that God spare him that "cup" but when the answer was "no," He said, "Thy will be done." He embraced the cross focusing on the power and purpose of the mission and instead of the pain and suffering. 

"Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” -Matthew 26:42

"Thy will be done" is the first step to "changes in attitude and changes in latitude"... to borrow a phrase from Jimmy Buffet. It is the surrender before a new perspective is revealed. The cup begins to refill. 

"Things could be worse." was a phrase Mama Ina Mae would use. Feel free to ponder "the worse" before tackling "the hard."  

Today, I am grateful the glass is refillable. 

The Night Manager

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 231:  Today, I am grateful for the night manager. 

Sleep is a reset. Our bodies were designed to require rest on this earth where labor is a part of our days. Not all jobs require physical labor, but emotional labor or intellectual labor requires rest, too. Lately the phrase "brain break" is gaining popularity. 

There are days our brain struggles to stop. Waiting for any kind of test results. Waiting to hear about changes at work, in our resources, or finances. 

"God made us to sleep so that every day he can remind us that He manages things just fine without us." -Kevin DeYoung

When sleep is evasive, I try to use that sleepless part of the night for focused prayer. It should not be a time to fret about yesterday or tomorrow. Prayer leads to peace or surrender; surrender also leads to peace. 

"Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

Rest, relax, and restore. He manages the night shift without our help and the sun comes up with each new day. 

Today, I am grateful for the night manager.

Duck/Duct Tape

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 230:  Today, I am grateful for duck/duct tape. 

A little giggle attached to wisdom.

"Silence is golden; duct tape is silver."

What would we do without duct tape? It has quite a history that is too long to write this morning. Both "duck tape" and "duct tape" are a part of the evolution of the tape we know so well today. Both are correct. The brand name of "Duck" was a brilliant marketing play. 

Duck/Duct tape has been important in building bridges and making ammunition boxes easier for soldiers to open in war. How many things do we use it for in our homes, at work, and at play? It is found on boats, in campers, and in garages. It is in junk drawers and in offices, too.  Countless is a correct answer. 

How many times do you see duct tape placed over the mouth in movies to keep someone quiet? Frequently. It must be a staple in the "bad-guy" backpack. I love this scripture:

"Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent." -Proverbs 17:28 

Mark Twain rewrote the thought: "Tis better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Silence and duck/duct tape are good.

Today, I am grateful for duck/duct tape. 

No Puzzle Piece is Insignificant

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 229:  Today, I am grateful no puzzle piece is insignificant.

"You are part of a puzzle in someone's life. You may never know where you fit, but someone's life may never be complete without you in it." -TobyMac 

I am grateful for the reminder that this world was created by our Heavenly Father who knows when a sparrow falls, the number of hairs on our heads, and He numbers the stars and calls them by name. To think that we are all individual pieces, connected in a big picture gives me a sense of awe, wonder, and peace. "All are precious in His sight, as the children's song states. 

To be a piece in the puzzle of the expanse of humanity means no one is more or less. The size of it is humbling. Yet, it all fits together... in his time and in His season. His hand cannot be forced, like a puzzle piece that is close but does not fit! Forced is never quite right. 

From Adam to Noah... from Noah to Abraham and Isaac... from Isaac to Ruth and Boaz... and from Boaz to David... and from David to Jesus... from Jesus, ultimately to us, but adoption by His blood. What a puzzle indeed! 

"“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

So many times, the remnant of believers in Yahweh held on when nothing in the puzzle made sense. For 400 years, God stopped talking to them directly as he had for so many years. They didn't listen anyway. Some held on to the prophecies of old and kept them in their hearts. Some performed the actions dutifully and faithfully, but it did not reach all the way to the core of their being.  

Then, God sent Yeshua (Jesus) as a baby boy... to be born to an ordinary woman, married to an ordinary man from a humble little village known as Bethlehem (House of Bread). God did not "force the pieces" but waited for the right pair to be ready to do the work of raising the Christ child. 

Mary carried holiness in her womb. We can only imagine what that felt like. Joseph... sweet, caring, faithful Joseph, is a hero in his own rite. Jesus had a bonus father who loved him like his own. "Adoption" was part of his story from the beginning, too. 

There are times that a puzzle piece doesn't look like it could possibly be the next right piece. That piece gets set aside and waits until the end, when it all becomes obvious and clear.  

Today, I am grateful no puzzle piece is insignificant. 

The Ordinary

 Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 228:  Today, I am grateful for the ordinary. 

“We are all called to be exceptional in the ordinary things, faithful in the little things, trustworthy when nobody’s looking.” Elisabeth Elliott 

I am pretty sure that the sweetest parts of life can be found in the ordinary things. 

Days can be hard. Troubled seasons may seem long. We can improve our attitudes and create sweetness in the ordinary moments. To be faithful in the small things adds up to being faithful in the big things. 

Do we look for opportunities to be faithful and trustworthy? Integrity is said to be measured by our choices when no one is looking. In the daily grind are opportunities to show real love through faithful service. 

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.“ -Revelation 2:19 (NLT)

The beauty of the ordinary is easily missed. Be present. Be intentional.

Today, I am grateful for the ordinary. 

A Place To Start

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 227:  Today, I am grateful for a place to start. 

"You cannot change what is going on around you until you start changing what's going on within you." -TobyMac

That is a plain, simple, and often overlooked truth. Sometimes, the hardest work begins within. 

Look around you and you will always find things that are "complicated" because humans are complicated. We have instincts and we have learned behaviors. We struggle to keep our moral compass set on our True North, when we see shiny things. 

A friend was recently biking through Amish country. The children would sit on a fence post and watch the bicycles go by. Cheap entertainment. Right? 

The simplicity of the Amish lifestyle is awe inspiring. There is an appeal to it, but I do love creature comforts. I know that no culture is perfect, but there is goodness in the way they live that cannot be ignored.  

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”-Psalm 46:10

We need to pay attention to what goes on within us. It is a great place to start when we seek to change the world around us. 

Today, I am grateful for a place to start.

 

The Super Power: Choice

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 226:  Today, I am grateful for our super power... choice. 

Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" may be one of the most powerful books ever written. A Holocaust survivor himself,  attempting to wrap his head around why some survived and even thrived, and others were forever victims.

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our responses lies our growth and freedom." -Viktor Frankl

 Choice was the ultimate answer. God gave us something more than he gave the animals. He gave us choice. How we respond in any trial, tribulation, or even celebration is our choice.  

Every once in a while, I have to repost some of my favorite quotes from Victor Frankl. Positivity is not looking at life through rose colored glasses, it is more about not submitting to the negativity around us. We always have the choice of our response and how we respond to those around us. 

Corrie Ten Boom in "The Hiding Place" wrote of acts of generosity in the concentration camp. To have almost less than nothing, but a heart that still wants to share brought hope to those around her and her sister, Betsey. The Bible that God allowed them to sneak in offered comfort and hope. Words are powerful. Hope is, too. 

"The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him." -Nahum 1:7 NLT

Choice is a super power. Unwavering trust is, too. Where we put our faith and trust changes everything. 

"But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” -Joshua 24:15

Choose today whom you will serve. 

Today, I am grateful for our super power... choice. 

Choose What You Water

 Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 225:  Today, I am grateful we can choose what we water. 

"Some thoughts are seeds that have been planted; others are weeds born from our own soil. Either way, don't water what you don't want to grow." -TobyMac

I love this. My instant thought was "don't start or jump on the complain train." Nothing sucks the life out of our days than complaining people. 

Now, our old friend, Eeyore, from the 100 Acre Woods was prone to depressive thoughts. It was in his nature. Still, his friends surrounded him with hope and encouragement. They kept showing up! They didn't mourn his tail that often fell off; they rescued it and pinned it back on with an encouraging word.

"Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up." Proverbs 12:25

Pooh and the crew did not water Eeyore's woes. They encouraged. What about our own soil? What do we pour over it? Discontentment? Jealousy? Or do we choose patience, love, encouragement, and patience?

Don't water what you do not want to grow. 

Today, I am grateful we can choose what we water. 

Chase

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 224:  Today, I am grateful for Chase!

We celebrated Chase on Sunday!  August is always packed. Adult work schedules are kind of like a Tetris game. Together is my favorite place to be. The gift of another trip around the sun is not something to take for granted. 

Chase's favorite person, Emma, always brings out the best smiles. I love it! We love watching them talk, love, and laugh together. 

He is the child that turned us from a couple to a family. We have loved watching him think from the time he could talk, he asked questions far bigger than we could answer at times. He loves taking in the world around him. 

He was... and still is... the best of big brothers. I love hearing them discuss techy things that are beyond my skills and understanding. With over five years between them in age, he always listened to Walker's questions and treated him as an equal... and not just a little brother.  

I will always sweetly remember the days of having them under our roof. Children at home are the best of days, but adult children are such a gift, too.        

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." -Psalm 127:3 

We are grateful for the gift.    

Today, we are grateful for Chase!

    

      

"Stop Doing" List

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 223:  Today, I am grateful for encouragement to make a "stop doing" list. 

We all know about "To Do" list. They can give us a sense of purpose to start the day. They acknowledge our accomplishments when they are long and crossed off. (Yes, it is okay to write down finished tasks after they are done.)

This is another great one from Toby Mac's "Speak Life." 

"Sometimes we need a "stop doing" list as bad as you need a to do list. "

He nails it! How many things do we need to be reminded to "stop doing?" Do we write them down and check them off? Perhaps, we should. 

This scripture seemed perfect.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." -Proverbs 25:11

The right word at the right time is a game changer. This week, we can work on our "stop doing" lists. There are only 24 hours in a day. Time with family, down-time, and sleep are important, too. Time is a precious gift we unwrap every day. A stop doing list may 

Today, I am grateful for encouragement to make a "stop doing" list. 

Full Bloom

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 222:  Today, I am grateful for full blooms. 

I snapped this picture yesterday. Sunflowers in full bloom remind me a trip to North Dakota to see family near Fargo. There were fields of sunflowers like out fields of corn and beans. It left quite an impression on me as a child. 

This one is on our neighbors mailbox…gloriously in full bloom. I am fascinated  by the hope in a tightly closed flower bud. A little sunshine, water, and the right combination of sun and shade. In time, the full bloom will come.  

“He makes all things beautiful in his time.”

Today, I am grateful for full blooms.  

Worship and Promises

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 221:  Today, I am grateful for worship and promises made.  

Isaac Ackerman was ordained today in the church his maternal grandparents attended and where his mother's family still attends. It was a full house with some extra seats in the back. So many people from different chapters of his life were there. 

He served his first communion after the laying of hands as everyone joined in a prayer for his commitment to serve. 

The stories from Eureka, Vanderbilt, and the churches where he served in training were beautiful. He has always had a servant's heart for the "least of these." It rang true in the things the clergy shared about him. There were serious moments, and laughter, too. 

Isaac has been a part of our world since we moved to Morton in 1996. He lived around the corner at the time, but they eventually moved next door. Isaac is a natural at hospitality. He has a generous spirit. These things he learned from the cradle by watching his parents, Jim and Susie. 

Because their church was small, it did not have a Wednesday night program. Isaac came with us. The boys loved it, and so did I. Nothing like a full car on Wednesday nights to make my heart happy. (My parents used to do the same with Chebanse and Clifton families.)

The "Laying of Hands" was very special as the entire house united in prayer for a special blessing. I think it was one of his favorite parts. 

I am grateful for a day that was filled with love, a chance to worship, and promises made to God.  

Today, I am grateful for worship and promises made.

Delightful People

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 220:  Today, I am grateful for delightful people. 

Often the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life." -Joseph B. Wirthlin

The grocery store is a fun place to people watch. Everyone goes to the grocery store, eventually. It is a place for the elderly to find human contact, a young mother to have a few minutes "alone," and there are so many different personalities. It is interesting to watch how people treat each other. 

It is a place to look for humble, delightful people that remind us what is right with the world. 

Delightful people help us reach the high shelves and let the father with the crying child go ahead of them in line. They share knowledge about where to find items on "the list." They smile and encourage the person who appears exhausted by life. 

Be a game changer is someone's day. Build up and encourage. You never know who needs it. 

"For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory." -Psalm 149:4

Today, I am grateful for delightful people. 

A Plan

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 219:  Today, I am grateful there is a plan. 

It looks more like a puzzle than a book, but it does eventually come together into something beautiful. Not always perfect, but there is beauty in a life well lived. 

At one of our family funeral gatherings, we spent time at our nephew and niece-in-love's home to visit and truly catch up. Craig and Monica are gracious hosts and we found ourselves doing puzzles. It was amazing the conversations shared. 

We did one on Florida and I think one on Michigan, too. It is the States where most have lived. They are the places we have shared and made memories. Apparently, as kids, they were known to pocket pieces to put that coveted last piece in the puzzle. Who knew that was a thing? 

Life is much like a big puzzle and only God has the full view. Our decisions can chew up some of the pieces or force pieces where they do not need to go and do not really fit. His hand restores when we mess up and return to seek His face.  

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." -Jeremiah 29:11

To be honest, my favorite part is verse 13. We must seek Him with our whole heart. A junior high student once educated me with when I commented on a t-shirt he wore with Jeremiah 29:11. He educated me that morning. The young man had lost his father when he was younger than junior high. He said, "Mrs. Smith, everyone loves Jeremiah 29:11, but they forget about Jeremiah 29:13." 

I love being taught by kids. He was and is right. And verse 12 is powerful, too. We have to pray and seek his face to fulfill the promise. 

Today, I am grateful there is a plan... but we have a part to play. 

Reverse Wisdom

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 218:  Today, I am grateful for wisdom in reverse.  

"Hurry kills Presence. 

Worry kills Peace. 

Doubt kills Faith

Ego kills Love."

Now, read that right to left. 

This is absolutely perfect and absolutely true. What a treasure. Simple and profound. It really should be somewhere I can read it often. 

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13:11-13

In a mirror, we see things in reverse. Is the image true? It is indeed our image, but it is backwards and incomplete. We do not see our whole image, even with two mirrors, we have to choose our focus... on the image in front of us or we can choose to key in on the image in the back mirror. Yes, we can see what we look like from behind, but we then lose focus on what is in front of us. Interesting isn't it? 

We can choose presence, peace, faith, and love like armor as we go into battle with everyday struggles. Suit up. Shut up. Pray up. 

Today, I am grateful for wisdom in reverse.