Brothers and Sisters who are
loved by the Lord Jesus Christ,
A thousand of something, is
a lot. A thousand days, a thousand books, a thousand snakes, a thousand
headaches, a thousand dollar fine, a thousand rats, a thousand dirty dishes, a
thousand mistakes, a thousand chances, a thousand praises, a thousand dark
chocolate candies… a lot. Too
much. Not enough. We do not live out half of 1000 in our life time and most of
us fall far short of living to a tenth of 1000.
But to God, who lives
outside of time, a thousand is like a day gone by. There is no thousand days or
years to Him. We are trapped in time and space and live by appointments and
calendars and schedules. In our blind rush we often miss the precious, the
small, the insignificant. As I study animals for Gramz Kidz website, I am blown
away by the thought that I will pass through life on a thread of
insignificance, missing color and design and beauty in places so pointless, so
meaningless to us they are endlessly ignored. Thousands of things in His
creation of such beauty that I will never see, things no one will see, thereby missing
what is intricately designed to function for God’s glory.
If missing ‘small things’, am
I not missing more of life than it seems? Could they be the things that really
matter? Delight in movement, patterns, light, color and taste. This morning I
saw the sun, soundlessly, throw a delicate pattern of light across the carpet! Have
you seen the star in the center of a morning glory or enjoyed the forgiveness
of your beloved pooch, as he pushes his wet muzzle into your hand, with
unconditional affection, after being absent most of the day? Admire the
iridescent colors in an insignificant insect? There is an amazing design in all
creation, unique to God’s purpose for it, and it shouts His glory.
Imagine if God had given us flavorless,
daily fare, for nutrition and energy. How different it would be if we lived in
a world where colors are muted and music was governed by minimal notes. Our
life would be as lackluster as cardboard, dull and boring. But our God, is
Creator God who gives color and light, and endless seasoning and taste
ticklers, and let’s not forget chocolate! And mountains, and lakes and rivers
that daily take away our breath. And night skies which put on a display of
heavenly glory and reminds us of His greatness and our smallness. We have bird
songs and horses and flowers and beauty beyond imagining. What if everything were
grey, dull brown and off key? We, instead, are surrounded by a miraculous creation
of color and sound He created for us to enjoy! Every nuance a gift … for us.
You’ve got to
figure out a way to stay awake to your one wild and beautiful life. Moments.
This is all we have. Moments. Microscopic, fleeting moments. How many moments
of our lives have our eyes been wide-open- but we’ve been rushing, racing,
sleeping right through? AV
A friend gave me a book that
is blessing my socks off. The author is Ann Voskamp who has titled her gift
book ‘one thousand gifts’ with the subtitle of ‘FINDING
JOY IN WHAT REALLY MATTERS.’ She actually
gave me more than that albeit, I was unaware of it at the time. She challenged
me to write 1000 and more. To emulate what Ann Viskamp share of her own journey
of 1000 more. She encourages her readers
with this sentence: Receiving each moment for what it really is: holy,
ordinary, amazing grace. A gift.
What is it to write a thousand?
A thousand seemingly insignificant things that infiltrate our days and change
them into days that are not so meaningless after all. For Ann it was a dare, a
love dare of sorts. She used the exercise of making a list of gifts, not
gifts she wants but gifts she has! It began on a whim scribbled on a
scrap of paper. Impulsive. Daring. So I have joined the many who are beginning
their list of gifts they have already, Gifts that they have not slowed down
long enough to notice.
I began this past week and my
feet are dancing! Join me brothers and sisters. I challenge you to recognize and record what God has given you
and rejoice in Rejoice in the Lord always. I
will say it again: Rejoice!
Rejoice in Him, the Giver! The One
who alone satisfies our heart hunger.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Psalm 66:1-3
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Psalm 66:1-3
Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. Vs 5
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. Vs 5
Come and hear,
all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. Vs 16
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. Vs 16
Draw near
to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:7
This is my prayer for each one of you this week:
For this reason also, since the day we
heard of it, we have not
ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with
the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing
fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power,
according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;
joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to
share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:9-12 I pray this in Your
Son’s holy and beautiful name. amen
Love
to all my precious brothers and
sisters around the world. Will you accept my challenge and record an intimate
love list that will draw you near?
Be Amazed at the world's tallest land animal. Go to 'By Design' at Gramz Kidz
The Gospel (or Good News) message of Jesus Christ is so simple that it almost defies understanding. By evidenceofdesign| 1 video
