This morning I was reminded that anything that is new…whether a new habit or eating plan or whatever you decide on needs to have first a commitment to begin. This year I did have the commitment to write on my blog every day. To share the many gifts that God has given me…then along about the middle of January, life exploded.
It began on an ordinary day. I went to pick up Steve at work and found that the unemployment statistic had just hit our home. Steve was laid off. 3 days later he had surgery. 6 weeks later…God has shown us over and over that He is in control of our world even when we think it might have been tipped off its axis.
So…along with commitment comes intentionality. I intended to write. I have thought about the gifts He has given us daily. Here are just a few of them:
1. 1. Winter snows covered purple blossom in January…Praise You for the new life you bring.
2. 2. Scary words like cancer have been replaced with contained…no spreading to other glands…Jesus, how you show us your love for us.
3. 3. A robin on the fence which brought a smile because in North Dakota Robin Red Breast meant that spring wasn’t far away. It reminded me of so many things from North Dakota.
4. 4. Sun…a week spent in Phoenix and Tucson with the sun blazing…not hot…just shining. Oh, how I love the Son that shines in my life every day.
5. 5. Mentor words of encouragement.
6. 6. Guidance for papers written and assignments completed.
7. 7. Friends who surrounded me with love and support. Friends who understand when only a word needs to be spoken. God-given friends who call and sit and serve and eat and pray with us. What perfect gifts from God.
8. 8. Young mothers who are struggling to find balance. And me…struggling to find balance in my life. God is so good; He can direct and get me started on the path that He wants me on.
9. 9. Mountains capped with snow rising majestically in the distance, yet it seems some days they seem that they are close enough to reach out and touch.
10. 10. A new life with new expectations and new experiences. A new beginning for a relationship. As each day is Saturday for Steve and me in his “retirement” we are enjoying the things that we have wanted to do.
11. 11. Future…though we don’t know what our future holds, He allows us to look forward toward events and days and weeks and anticipate the joy that is ours to behold.
12. 12. Awakenings…God has awakened me several times in the middle of the night this week to sit at His feet and worship Him and for that I praise Him.
13. 13. Quiet…How I love to experience the quiet. I seek to find a holy and quiet place and I find it in our home.
14. 14. For noisy coffee shops where the din of the conversation blends into an ebbing hum.
15. 15. Prayer…for 1 hour of prayer that slipped by in seemingly seconds. For that holy time of worship and praise for the things that He does in our lives. For the holy ground that we can set our foot on when we come before the throne of His grace.
16. 16. For sweet pictures of children. My children. My children’s children. What an amazing love escapes each time I see a picture or hear a story. My heart soars and explodes at the thought of these precious gifts.
17. 17. For precious times with women of God. Listening to what God is doing in their lives. Looking back over our time together and seeing His hand in each of our lives. We are strong when we are weakest. We are bold when we allow others to see our fears. We are because Christ IS!
You see, I have not been lost in wondering what gifts I have received from Him. I just haven’t shared them here. Could I list more? Oh, yes! My eyes and my heart search to see His footprint, His face, His grace, and His presence in each day. I quiet myself so that I might hear the still small voice of God speaking to me.
So, this morning I was reminded Commitment…to make a statement and then to have the intentionality to follow through with that commitment. And that, my friends is the beginning of a walk in discipline. Will I write every day? I don’t know. Will I see God in every aspect of my day? It is my prayer. I praise Him that when you seek with all of your heart, soul and mind that you will find Him. When you desire what He desires, He gives you the desires of your heart. When you seek to submit and follow…praise God…He is the greatest leader.
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