Perfection

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 188: Today, I am grateful for His perfection in an imperfect world. 

Mornings, days, and weeks in our lives throw us some curveballs. Have you ever thought, "I never thought I would be here."? Most of us have. Health status changes, job changes, relationship changes, and other plot twists are a part of this life. 

We pray. We trust. At times, we endure the hard stuff clueless of any purpose in our pain. We live in a world that rejects His majesty. I always think of Job who was not spared suffering, but on the other side of the troubles he had a deeper relationship with his Lord. He discovered "the shield" and used it. It carried him through the darkest days of loss and suffering. His restoration was rich and full. 

"God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection." -Psalm 18:30

Behind His shield there is rest. Let the sun rise with hope and anticipation. His Word is flawless. It does not fail. It lights our way home. 

Today, I am grateful for His perfection in an imperfect world. 

Touch the Hem

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 187: Today, I am grateful that we are able to "touch the hem." 

Do you ever need a little more "power?" My old mixer would grumble and drag. It simply no longer had the power to make my favorite oatmeal cookies (Grandma Guttendorf's Pride of Iowa). The kids gifted me with a beautiful red Kitchen Aid mixer and the "more power" is so much better, faster, and efficient. All I have to do is plug it in to turn it on. 

Power and patience are a great combination. The story of a suffering woman who knew that if she could simply touch Jesus's hem, she could and would be healed. Her faith was big, but she had to reach him. 

Imagine the crowds that gathered around Jesus. They followed him everywhere. It appears that Jesus would simply get up and go when he was finished. The disciples had to be ready to follow at any moment.

A ruler made his way to Jesus to beg him for a miracle. His daughter had died and he sought out Jesus to come and raise her from the dead. Jesus followed the man, but his journey was interrupted when he felt the power rush out of him. Someone had touched him. He felt the power leave him. 

The woman's courage was bigger than her fear at that moment. An unclean woman reaching out to touch a man was risky. She must have been exhausted from her illness, yet somehow she managed to reach him in time to touch his hem as he passed by. 

"And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” -Matthew 9:20-21

"Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse." -Mark 5:25-26

She was tired of bleeding. She had suffered at the hands of physicians. She was at the end of her proverbial rope... she was desperate. 

Jesus stopped abruptly and asked who had touched him. He knew, of course, but still He demanded her admission.

She confessed and asked Him for healing. 

"And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” -Mark 5:34

May we have the courage to reach out and "touch the hem" of His robe. May we have the desire to chase after him for the healing we need, whatever that may be. 

Today, I am grateful that we are able to "touch the hem." 

Today Is Enough

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 186: Today, I am grateful today is enough. 

How many times do we fill the schedule so full there is no room for a deep breath. It makes me long for simpler times when the kids were home and they played the summer days away. Many of the days were simple and uneventful. They flew by so fast. 

This is one of the best anti-anxiety scriptures in the Bible. It is a reminder to slow down and just take care of today's business. I like to have an idea, if not a plan... and a back up plan. 

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34 NLT

This is a scripture I continue to review again and again, until it is not only memorized, but written on my heart. 

Worry about tomorrow zaps today of its joys. Savor this day. One at a time is just right. Imagine that? God's plan is perfect today. Tomorrow's potential troubles may never arrive. Today is enough. 

Today, I am grateful today is enough. 

The 4th of July

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 185: Today, I am grateful for the 4th of July.

Happy 249th Birthday, America. I remember the 1976 Bi-Centennial with a child's eyes. I remember Holly Hobbie, high-waisted jeans, short shorts, and red, white, and blue in fashion for nearly everything. What a season it was. 

TheVietnam War still held fresh differences of opinions and fresh wounds, but a 200th Birthday party gave the country a reason to come together. (Earworm is singing the Beatles song "Come Together". The tune is catchy.) Somehow, we needed to come together.

The Bi-Centennial reminded us of all of the blood, sweat, sacrifice, and tears that built this country we call home. My Dad's side came as immigrant farmers in the late 1800's with the dream of owning their own land. Hard work and sacrifice made their dreams come true. Some uncles were lost in the great wars. Dad and Uncle Mel both served in the Army. Uncle Mel served in the Korean War. Dad was in the reserves at Fort Lee, Virginia, between Korea and Vietnam. 

My Mama's Bess side cleared the land and made their home from Massachusetts, Connecticut, to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Illinois. They came from England, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland. Most came with nothing but the clothes on their back, a strong work ethic, and bone-deep stubbornness that refused defeat. Grandma Opal Maxine's brother, Sister-in-Law (and their children) and a nephew survived Pearl Harbor. The St. John family were some of the earliest settlers in the new world and in Iroquois County.  

Dad and Mama took us to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1979. Arlington Cemetery was humbling. General Robert E. Lee's home (a gift to his wife from his father-in-law) tour brought the time of the Civil War to life for me. The tour guide observed my interest in the tiny piano-forte and asked if I played. He invited me behind the rope to play the piano-forte that Robert E. Lee purchased it for his daughter. Thankfully, I had a Sonatina memorized. I have never felt so connected to history than at that moment as an 8th grader. 

In the ugliness of war, it is very likely Lee's home would have been burned. Lincoln had asked Lee to lead the Union Army. It was not an easy decision for Lee. Lincoln did not hate Lee. Lee did not hate Lincoln. 

I remember the guide telling us that Lincoln decided to put a Union headquarters in Lee's home to keep it from being destroyed. Lincoln respected Lee and ached for the division in the country. 

Lincoln's capacity to feel the hurt in others came from knowing the taste of grief from early in his life. The Bible was his compass and his favorite book. He could read a situation and a room. His wit was sharp and quick. 

As you know, "Daily Gratitude" is intentionally non-political. As we celebrate a country that has survived taking up arms brother against brother, I am reminded of this scripture:

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 

"But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. " -Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:24, & Luke 11:17 

When three of the Gospels record the same warning from Jesus, we had better pay attention. Our beautiful flag is blood-stained, but it still represents hope when I see it flying in the wind. 

Today, I am grateful for another 4th of July.

Happy Birthday Eve

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 184: Today, I am grateful for another "Happy Birthday Eve." 

It is the 3rd of July on the eve of our country's 249th Birthday.

What a miraculous thing it truly is! I've been digging into our family history and the Bess clan was in the thick of the Revolution. My 5th and 6th Great Grandfathers with other family members, neighbors, and friends had a front row seat in Lincolnton, N.C. 

I cannot imagine what it was like. Truly. Ramsour's Mill and the Battle at King's Mountain were their neighborhoods. Their fierce courage humbles me. They were defending their homes and the farms and communities they built. Great Grandpa Jerge "Boston" Sebastian Bosch/Best/Bess came at 14 from Germany alone and with nothing. 

His son, my Great Grandpa Peter, was 20 years old in 1776. Imagine the passion of youth combined with the reality that life under the crown was not getting better. Everything was on the line. They defended their homes, their lands, and they forged a new country from many nations, languages, and churches. They did it together. They gave their all and sometimes their lives. Both of them lived to be old men. Imagine the tales they could tell. 

This quote struck me today:

 "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration." - John Adams, July 3, 1776

The words rang true! Toil, blood, and treasure were sacrificed for a dream of a place where men could live, speak, and worship in freedom. There was a moral compass and magnificent courage. This war voucher is a small, tangible part of the story. 

"Greater love than this has no man, than to bestow his life for his friends." -John 15:13

When times got tough, they pulled together. They took care of each other. They stood firm. They carried each other, literally at times when one was wounded and too weak to walk. Often, the wounded would encourage brothers in arms to save themselves to continue the fight. They cared for the widows and orphans. 

The 13 Colonies had different ideas on what this new country would look like, but they argued, debated, and eventually hammered out "The Declaration of Independence."  They were not perfect, but they hammered out something beautiful. I love that they actually use the phrase "in order to form a more perfect union." There was arrogance... but humility, too. They came together and we live with the fruits of their blood, sweat, loss, and tears. 

This 249th Birthday, let us seek to be "more perfect" and more forgiving, too. 

Today, I am grateful for another "Happy Birthday Eve." 

Open Windows

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 183: Today, I am grateful for open windows.

After about two weeks of high heat... and believe me when I say I am grateful for air conditioning that works... this morning we could open the windows and let the gentle breeze roll in. It is cool at 65 degrees and low humidity. The house needs fresh air and so do we.

There is nothing like a sweet, fresh, and cool breeze whispering "Good morning." It restores my soul. We will enjoy the "refresh" until the day begins to heat up. 

My Randy gets the credit for today's gratitude. Some mornings it comes quickly and others take some time. 

As for the scripture, Noah gives us a perfect example of the joy in opening the windows. Can you imagine the smell? 

"Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible. After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up." -Genesis 8:5-7

Enjoy any "open window" moments you can through the hottest days of summer. 

Today, I am grateful for open windows.

Solar Lights

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 182: Today, I am grateful for solar lights.

A modern technology I enjoy every evening are solar lights. They are such a wonder! Imagine, no electricity needed! We have some lining the walkway to our home and a little pumpkin fairy that lights up in a pot in the backyard at night. They are resilient, too. 

I have not looked into the science of how they work, but I know the sun is their source. All day long they collect what the sun freely gives. Then at night, when the world seems dark, they light our way. 

I cannot help but make the comparison of the sun to "the Son." They are homophones. They are words that sound the same but have different meanings. It is true, yet they have so much in common. Both light our way. Both break into the darkness. The sun is at the center of our solar system. Jesus is to be at the center of our lives. 

"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” -John 8:12

And another verse fits perfectly for the comparison:

"But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture." Malachi 4:2

The sun is healing. The Son is healing. And one more to bring it all together:

"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” -John 8:12

Because of the sun and the Son, we never need to walk in darkness. Enjoy your solar lights tonight. 

Today, I am grateful for solar lights, the sun, and the Son.