Year 6-Day 47: Today, I am grateful for the shower curtain.
This is a Pinterest image. Not my bathroom, but as we are always thinking about "what we will do when we remodel", it is fun to look at other people's ideas and spaces. This little bathroom is simply adorable. For me, the shower curtain adds something just right. Business on the top and cuteness on the bottom.
A shower curtain - another gratitude point that I believe I have completely overlooked for the first five years. Yes, I am grateful for the shower curtain because it protects and contains what goes on behind it.
The warm wonders of a morning shower happen behind the shower curtain. The curtain gives privacy and keeps the waters contained so that they do not burst forth and do damage on the other side. Shower waters are warm, wonderful, cleansing and awakening, but they are also a great force that if not contained, would wreak havoc in the bathroom. I need to be grateful for the shower curtain.
When I started this post, I wondered how it could possible have a spiritual connection, but then it hit me. The Old Testament if full of references to the temple curtains. They were given specific instructions on how to make and hang them. The Ark of the Covenant was kept behind a curtain. The Holy of Holies was protected by a special curtain and priests only entered it a few times a year with careful preparation or they would face certain death. Our God is holy. He righteousness and justice are a part of his character. He can love the sinner, but he cannot tolerate sin. Yes, there were great preparations before passing through the curtain into the most holy place.
One of the most powerful scriptures... in my opinion... in the record of the days of Jesus crucifixion and burial is this passage that is recorded in Matthew 27:51 and Mark 15:30.
"At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,"
From top to bottom, not from bottom to top. God initiated not man.
It is so easy to miss the significance. Priest used to be the ones to go before God... but Jesus came to restore our relationship through his perfect sacrifice, so that we could all be intimate with God as he designed the relationship in the beginning. Jesus came as Immanuel to be "with us" and sent the Holy Spirit so that all might have daily intimacy with God. The temple curtain that protected the Holy of Holies was no longer needed to separate us and we could through Jesus, enter into his presence. Wow! Right?
Fabrics do not rip from top to bottom by natural fiber weakness. They rip from bottom to top. God acts outside the laws of nature when it pleases him. He makes the rules and he can break the rules. When he does, we should pay close attention. He is speaking.
As I write this, lent has begun. We are less than 40 days to Easter. To enter into his presence, we simply need to quiet our hearts, humble our spirits and seek his face, recieve his grace and invite "thy will not my will" into our days. Sometimes, He can be pretty overwhelming when his love and peace wash over our souls. He is good. He is patient. He loves his children.
Every day shower curtains are practical and protect. Now, I think I might remember to think about the miracle of the Easter season each time I pull one closed. We can "go behind the curtain and into His presence" and know the cleansing power of his grace and love. The more time we spend there, the more we crave... and the more we savor His goodness. Not just experience it, but savor it.
Today, I am grateful for the shower curtain... and the curtain that ripped from top to bottom on that most holy of days so long ago.
Year 6-Day 46: Today, I am grateful for true love... and butter.
True love is a love that is true. It isn't necessarily romantic but it is very real. Although romantic love from a love that is true, is really special. True love melts... like butter... and makes everything better.
Scientific studies can be tainted by bias, but over and over again, we get reports that in moderation, real butter is good. Thank goodness. It tastes better than the fake stuff and it melts like none of the imposters.
"True love is like butter. There are no substitutes for the real thing."
Coke used to borrow a song lyric for their commercials, "Ain't nothing like the real thing baby." (Good morning Earworm... now he's singing". Let's face it. The real thing is always better.
For so many years, a people longed for a Messiah. Not really sure what what he would look like, but they had all kinds of ideas. A baby born to a woman the town gossiped about because of her pregnancy and the way her customary betrothal was handled. Not completely customary. They were likely the talk of the town.
Then, the child was a bit different. He loved to spend time in the wilderness, but obediently learned his earthly father's trade. He was unusually perceptive, with a deep understanding of the scriptures. Mary and Joseph loved him with the deep abiding love of a mother and father. For Joseph, who was present at his birth... Jesus was his son... not by genes but by the love that grew out of choosing Mary and choosing to be a father to the child conceived by God. Did he wake up even one day after the angel's visit feeling ordinary?
True love. Love that is true. It sticks through thick and thin. Somehow, weathering the thick and the thin makes it stronger, sweeter and more special. Yes. True love, love that is true... it melts our hearts and makes everything sweeter..
Romans 12:15 works again:
" Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Memorize it. Live it. Savor it. Celebrate it. Embrace the gift.
Today, I am grateful for true love... love that is true...and butter.
Year 6-Day 45: Today, I am grateful for a simple measurements.
Math was not my favorite. I wasn't completely awful at it, but sometimes my numbers would get mixed up and the answers would be wrong. Now, fractions are kind of my sweet spot. Fractions were cooking and I understood cooking from an early age.
Even to this day, the measurement conversions from ounces to cups come quickly. Of course... fractions used in cooking... are a math skill used often if not daily. To me, they are simple measurement.
Today, is Valentine's Day. This cute little heart-shaped measuring spoons captured my eye, as they have cute little phrases on the handles. Humor, kindness, fun & happiness are all ingredients in love.
Jesus gave us a new commandment as a measuring tool... and as evidence that we belong to him. It is a simple measuring tool... but simple does not mean it is always easy. Here is the scripture:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”-John 13:34-35
Loving others is not a suggestion, but a commandment. Some days it comes naturally. Other days, we have to love more intentionally. The more we exercise it, the easier it comes. We can't change how others act toward us or treat us. We can choose how we respond to them. Sometimes, it is the pinch of kindness and the dash of humor that help stir up love and affection.
Unlike some recipes where ingredient measurements need to be more exact, adding extra love never hurts. We cannot always please people, but Christ will not measure our love by how others respond. Love poured out and kindness sprinkled may not be appreciated or reciprocated... but it may soften a heart heart more than we know.
Some sprinkle the seeds of love, some water... and others have the joy of watching it bloom. The commandment it to love others, not to be sure others love us. We are loved by a love that was willing to stretch out his arms across an old rugged cross and die in our place. Oh, how deeply we are loved.
His love is profoundly deep and wide. He fills our love cups to overflowing so that they run over on others. "By this all people will know that you are my disciples... if your love one another."
I am so grateful His math isn't hard.
Today, I am grateful for a simple measurements.
Year 6-Day 43: Today, I am grateful for a heart of flesh.
Love month continues. This Old Testament passage resonates the with the good stuff. It is as if it echoes through the many centuries before this one. That is because God's word is not just holy.. it is living. It has a heartbeat.
Today, I want to savor the reminder that that those who seek His face are gifted with a new heart... and a new song. I really need to memorize this verse.
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." -Ezekiel 36:26
The world can harden our hearts through the prizes, treasures, success and fortune it offers. Because it never satisfies, the human heart hardens. We think "the next thing will make me happy." It never will. Our souls were created to be in relationship with our Creator. He is our missing piece. He is our missing peace. Only seeking his face and his grace will bring joy and contentment into our lives and soften our hardened hearts.
A heart of flesh can be scary. It means we feel more. We see more. And yes... we hurt more. It sounds scary but in truth... there is nothing more divinely human than a heart of flesh.
In my SS class... I love my SS class... we are doing a John Ortberg study. It is called "I'd Like You Better If You Were More Like Me." It is looking at relationships, intimacy and being faithful to Christ in our relationships. It is a good one. A few weeks ago, he instructed us to learn and live out these words to improve all of our relationships.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. -Romans 12:15
Let's look at it in "The Message" for a very modern day expression of the meaning.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. -Romans 12:15
When we feel others joy, laughter, sorrow and pain... we are feeling with a heart of flesh. It is evidence that we are not just making an appearance at a celebration or a funeral... but truly feeling the joys and the sorrows of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
Yes... we were born for a relationship with Him... but he told us to love each other on the journey here. This is but a season... and for those heading to the same destination, we never have to face sorrow or joy alone.
Love increases joy and divides sorrows. Isn't that an interesting? It is true, right? It is a divine dichotomy! It brings me to my knees in awe and gratitude of this God who loved us so much he sent his son to be with us, for us, not against us... and to pay our sin debt. His crazy, relentless love for us amazes me.
A heart of flesh... a gift from the Father... exemplified by the Son... and whispered by the Holy Spirit... what a special gift. It is not a trophy or a prize, it is a gift. It is the miracle of new life in Christ.
Today, I am grateful for a heart of flesh.
Year 6-Day 42 :Today, I am grateful for fifteen minutes.
Savor is my word for the year. The intention is to be more intentional. To slow down and sip, smell, smile and celebrate the simple. One of my favorite scriptures... a life verse I have attempted to apply daily to whatever comes... "Be still and know I am God..." It can be found in Psalm 46:10.
Here is the whole verse: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Rest assured... his promises are true. Some just take more time than others. Man of the great faith legacies we can read in our Bibles are of people who spent what seemed like a lifetime waiting on the Lord. His clock is not our clock When the time was right... in His time... he fulfilled every promise to his glory and the often stunning onlookers. Only God has perfect timing.
So why fifteen minutes? Fifteen minutes can change our course for the entire day. Fifteen minutes is long enough to read (or write) a quick gratitude entry in a journal. It is long enough to savor a cup of coffee (or tea) and read a passage of scripture.
Fifteen minutes is long enough to intentionally pray for someone carrying a burden, for our children and spouses, for a couple praying for adoption, several battling addiction, for several suffering from illness, for someone who is dying or someone who is grieving. Fifteen minutes can make a world of difference.
We use the phrase "carving out time", and perhaps that is what it feels like. Fifteen minutes of good fellowship can breathe new life into a long day.
Fifteen minutes reminds me that God is good... all the time... even on the hard days. When we seek his face, we find his grace and it is always sweet.
At the beginning of the week, it is easy to get overwhelmed with all that needs to be accomplished. We do love our "to do" lists. What if we simply started each day with giving God fifteen minutes to help us organize and prioritize?
God first. Then people. Then "to do's" will happen more naturally.
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit ,serve the Lord."-Romans 12:9-11
I find myself reflecting on how often I waste fifteen minutes on things that don't really matter. I know I need to be more intentional... not just in my morning routine... but throughout my day. Today, is a good day be more intentional in keeping it simple and practicing genuine love and brotherly affection.
Love Him with a wild abandon. Love others like crazy, too. Claim fifteen minutes at a time to be fervent in the spirit... in prayer... or in service. Fifteen minutes can be a day changer.
We get 1,440 minutes in a day. Take out 480 minutes for 8 hours of sleep which is good for the body and soul. 960 minutes remain. 16 hours has sixty-four 15 minute intervals. I like how plentiful it sounds. How will we spend them, today?
Today, I am grateful for fifteen minutes.
Year 6-Day 41 :Today, I am grateful a new word... meraki.
The word is new to me. Meraki is a modern greek word. It is pronounced (mAY-rah-kee). It is not just a word for traditional artists, but anyone who does what they do with their whole heart. Meraki is leaving a bit of yourself in your work.
From CNA's to TSA workers... when we do what we do with heart and soul... something of us remains. Taking joy in our work, whatever it is. Even changing a diaper can be an act of meraki that will imprint on even the youngest child as loved that they are loved and treasured.
What about the Sabbath? Does meraki describe our worship? To creatively worship with an open heart and wild abandon would be meraki... intimate yet in community. An individual experience, but with others, too.
Meraki is pouring love into whatever task or job is at hand. It is passion and compassion over prestige or pomp and circumstance. Man tells us to compare ourselves to each other to see if we are keeping up with the Jones. God tells us that he gives us all light, and when we choose to let it shine or hide it. Those who share his light will know His blessings.
'For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, -Phillipian 2:13-15
Don't just do the work... but do it for a higher purpose. This is a theme the scriptures teach over and over. When we joyfully choose to make God our boss, it changes how we take on the day.
The New Testament study I am just looked at the "Beatitudes". Beatitude means "extreme blessedness" or grace. The way I have read and understood the Sermon on the Mount has changed over the years. Initially, it appeared that they were goals for behaviour and those who lived out those instructions from the mouth of Jesus would receive the blessings as a result of their behaviors.
Doesn't that miss the point of grace? It is not in our actions, but whom we serve in all we do. To act as agents of His grace and love in everything we do is our "reasonable service".
Let's look at it again. What if the blessing is found in the act of submission and servitude?
In recognizing our spiritual poorness... our need of him... He makes us his children and his kingdom is ours, too.
When we are in mourning... we feel his comfort and nearness in that moment.
When we are meek... strong but under the Spirit's control... we know the earth is His and ours as his children.
When we hunger and thirst for him... he satisfies us with his word and his presence.
When we are merciful... we find the freedom in forgiveness.
When act with pure hearts... we see His face everywhere in the work we are doing.
When we work for peace, we are His agents, his sons and his daughters.
When we are persecuted for him... he does not abandon us but promises heaven.
When we are called for our faith or lied about... we are in good company. The company of the prophets before us... and Jesus and his disciples over the generations.
As people of "The Way"... we walk in love, in his creative image and we leave a piece of ourselves and His light in all we do. Meraki is a great word to describe this way of life.
Today, I am grateful a new word... meraki.
Year 6-Day 40 :Today, I am grateful God can use broken things.
Sometimes things get broken. There are times we feel broken. In this imperfect world, broken happens.
"It has always seemed to me that broken things, just like broken people, get used more: it's probably because God has more pieces to work with." -Bob Goff
I love this quote. I have found it to be so true that God seems to do some of his best and most refining work in the broken places of our lives. Created in his image, we can get pretty wrapped up in creating our lives. In fact, it is not that hard to fill in all the little spaces of time with work and fun, that we leave little from for the one we claim is Lord of our lives. God is not the author of our troubles, but there are times he allows them. There are times that the trials and tragedies are the very thing that bring us to pause and re-evaluate what really matters.
It is "Love Month". February is when hearts and Valentines are everywhere. It is a wonderful month to consider where we are in our relationship with the one who longs to be our "First Love". First in our hearts and in our lives and when that happens, we instinctively begin to love other. The ten commandments divide into two smaller sets. The first set says: Love God the most. The second set: These rules help us love each other better.
When asked which commandment was the most important, Jesus spoke clearly:
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”Mark 12:29-31
Relationships... even the best of relationships... are complicated. We all come from unique families of origin. We all have had hard times, failures, disappointments and found ourselves feeling like a broken mess. Good news. Our Heavenly Father specialized in restoration projects. He sent his son to purchase our messes... and then sent his Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. He is just waiting for us to offer him our brokenness as an offering. He is ready and willing... in fact, he delights in making old things new.
It is a good month to be sensitive to those without a special Valentine when the TV and radio are saturated with romance. It is a great time to share flowers with someone who isn't expecting them. Or... bake cookies for a widow or widower. There are endless ways to let others know that they matter and someone cares... even if they are not in a romantic relationship.
Romance is lovely... but love is so much more. We are to love each other deeply and earnestly... because love covers a multitude of sins. There is no brokenness our Lord cannot heal and no heart so wounded his love cannot fill in the empty spaces. We do not have to be perfect to be useful... and in fact, our brokenness may grow our understanding of another's needs.
We are all fixable... by His grace and mercy.
Today, I am grateful God can use broken things.
Year 6-Day 47: Today, I am grateful for the shower curtain. 
