My niece was born this morning. She looks likes like her Daddy, but we're hoping she sheds that pretty fast. Ha. She really is a beautiful little girl, and we're thankful, along with her Mommy and Daddy that everything went well with little Ella.
It's easy (for me anyway) to see God in the big and obvious things. In the births, in that amazing worship service, in that sweet old lady that you know that would give anybody anything. Even in sunsets and starry skies. It's not always easy to remember to see God in the little things. In that dandelion that keeps creeping up in the yard; in that annoying man downtown who's always walking around asking for a handout; in that baby after she's 6 months old, keeping you up at night; in whatever work God has blessed your hands with to keep busy. Or in something as simple as the ability to write. Sometimes (rarely) when I sit in silence, I can realize that these things are gifts from God. That everything we have we owe to Him. That our talents and abilities are God-given, and in using them we can express His glory.
Sometimes God gives little hints to remind us of these things. That blog about how creative pursuits can reflect our spirituality; that song that keeps playing (at the oddest times) over and over and over on the radio, asking "What's your story?"; that girl who talked about giving life to her thoughts, feelings, and experiences; that book that tells you that you have a story To Be Told.
It's amazing how good we've become at roping things off - putting each thing in our life in it's discrete little box where it doesn't have to affect anything else. I have my Home Life, my Work Life, my Social Life, my Church Life. It's amazing how we are so good at compartmentalizing the different parts of our existence (kind of like how this blog is starting to sound like a bunch of unrelated paragraphs). On my commute home, I stop my Work Life and start my Home Life. Sunday night, I stop my Church Life and start my Work Life. Friday night, I stop my Work Life and start my Social Life. When I read about how the followers of Jesus lived 2000 years ago, I start to believe they didn't live like this. Their passion filled every compartment of their life; it overflowed into everything they knew. I think we miss that today. I don't know if that's our American culture privatizing each little part of our lives, or our modern existence rationalizing a place for everything and everything in its place.
Basically, we forget that God is everywhere. We should see him in our Home Life, our Social Life, our Work Life, and yes, where we often fail to bring him - our Church life.
In this, God has helped me, little by little, to remember that He isn't a part of my life. He is what my life is about. This is one of the things this little bit of writing has done for me. Helped me to think about God more; helped me to be more cognizant of Him as I go through my daily activities.
So I have two things in the forefront of my mind to be thankful for today: what God has taught me through my writing, and for a new beautiful baby girl brought into the world.
Quote of the Day
...love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and foreheads to help you obey them. Write these laws on the door frames of your homes and on your town gates.
-Moses, relating the words of God to His people
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