Today I was cooking a roast…but, I got distracted and forgot about it, until there was a burnt smell wafting through the house. Daughter came to the rescue and added more water to it. When she walked in our bedroom she said, “This is what I love- look at the this!” It was the haze from the overdone roast mixed with dust; sunlight illuminating them both. What I saw was kitchen neglect and a house cleaning project– she saw beauty.
We paused and took a picture- my distractedness almost won out- then I remembered, slow down; stop and see what she sees. Thank Him and experience the moment… count this.
#475 Haze in room- reminder that He is present, and in the business of transforming mess to beauty (Isaiah 61:3 “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”)
#476 That my husband insists we get a real tree (it smells so good); can’t beat $10 at Home Depot (unless you can cut it down for free, we use to do that).
#477 Inspiration to decorate from www.thenester.com and www.pinterest.com; made a centerpiece for the table with memorial stones in it (from travels)- free, just used things I had around the house. And homemade snowflakes with the kids- so fun!
#478 Even though it took all day, thankful for the time and motivation to declutter the school/scrapbooking room (before and after picture)… made for a much better school week for all of us!
#479 Thankful for my mom..she is creative and a lifelong educator- here she is teaching my kids how to identify the various sections of music from the Nutcracker.
#480 Sparklers on a 69 years old’s birthday cake- love you Dad; you are young in looks and heart!
#481 Full circle- the kids dressing up at my parent’s house and putting on a show “The Baby That Was Named Jesus” (with a frog, a cow, an angel and a baby doll Jesus)- precious and hilarious.
#482 My hubby and I finally got new glasses. When we picked them up and put them on our daughter said to us, “You look brand new!” Isn’t that what Jesus says to us, how he sees us when we accept Him as Savior– through His sacrifice and forgiveness we are redeemed, clean and brand new (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” 2 Corinthians 5:17)!
#483 Preparing for company, for the holiday season, for celebrating Jesus’ birth- free decorating (had to really fight the urge to splurge at World Market and get the lovely decorations they had).
Keep counting all the ways that God shows His gracious love to you each day. We heard a statistic at church the other day, that if you make more than $30, 000 a year, you are in the top 1% of the world (as far as wealth goes). But, how spiritual poor we can be in America, where things (and status/position/talents, etc.) often become more important that people, relationships, God’s Word, and Jesus Himself. Let’s keep Him the focus each day, not just during this season, for in His love we are truly rich.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
