Spring Is Sure to Follow

There's an old proverb that says, "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." That's so true, isn't it? However, when we're in the cold clutches of winter, we tend to think spring will never come. Likewise, we often think that we're stuck forever in a harsh season of life. But, rest assured, a gentler, more beautiful, more hopeful season will surely follow since God designed the seasons--and our lives--to stay on schedule. 

While reflecting on the cyclical seasons of life, I like to recall the words to Great Is Thy Faithfulness, a favorite hymn of mine, written by Thomas O. Chisholm in the early 1900s.

The chorus of the song praises God for His great faithfulness toward us and mentions that daily we see how gracious God is to us and how He so faithfully provides all we need. 

The verses mention specific ways God demonstrates His faithfulness. For example, even the seasons and the solar system attest to His great faithfulness. 

God didn't just create the world and all the living creatures that inhabit it and then walk away. No! He faithfully keeps everything (even our lives!) "on schedule"--day after day, year after year.

Thus, we learn that we can trust Him to faithfully care for us and to make sure that "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." Trust Him. Thank Him. Praise Him.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

His mercies never cease. 

Great is his faithfulness; 

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22, 23, New Living Translation

To sing along with the song, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cACqcURyvJA 

God's Mercies

For You, O LORD, are good, 

and ready to forgive; 

and plenteous in mercy 

to all who call on You.

~David, Psalm 86:5

Word of the Day

The agenda for each meeting of the local chapter of Toastmasters International includes time for the Word of the Day (WOD). At the appointed time, a member (who has volunteered a couple of weeks or so in advance) displays the WOD he/she has written in large letters on a sheet of letter-size paper, pronounces the word, defines it, uses it in a sentence, and reminds those who speak during the remainder of the meeting to try to include the WOD in their verbal responses and presentations.

I thought about this one recent morning as I read several chapters in the Bible. As always, I came across many verses that stood out from among the others, but I wondered, Which of these will I choose for the Word of the Day? Which one will I try to memorize and then include in my communications with others?

That day, I chose Psalm 89:1, King James Version:

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever:

with my mouth will I make known

thy faithfulness to all generations.

Since for many years I’ve known a song that includes those words, it was easy for me to say/sing these words many times that day. And…as I spoke with people throughout the day, the Lord gave me opportunities to easily mention the mercies of God and to express heartfelt thanks for His faithfulness—without sounding sermonic.

I’m eager to see what tomorrow’s Word of the Day will be and how God will allow me to see it, say it, and share it!

List the Gifts!

“I’m cancer free!” a friend said to me in an e-mail.

“I’m so thankful…,” I replied. “And I’m going to write this HUGE blessing down in my 1,000 Gifts journal—NOW!”

Note: My friend knew which journal I was talking about because I’d given her one just like mine; and she, too, is experiencing big changes in attitude and outlook due to listing the “gifts” God gives day by day. (We’d started listing our gifts a couple of months ago, after beginning to read Ann Voskamp’s inspiring book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.)

My friend’s wonderful news was #587 on my list.  Next (#588) was a mention of the delicious dinner my husband and I had had with our two oldest grandsons (ages 16 and 13) at The Island Cow Restaurant on Sanibel Island, Florida. At first glance, that entry seemed far less significant than #587. However, my thankfulness for #588 increased all the more as, later that same evening, I heard about a grandmother who, along with other family members, was waiting at a hospital to find out if her granddaughter would live.

My heart ached for them, and I did pray earnestly—and late into the night—that God would help them and bring good out of that situation, which He can do, as Paul says in Romans 8:28.

Although I remained so sad about the woman’s granddaughter, I also realized how truly blessed my husband and I were to have enjoyed a yummy meal with happy and healthy grandsons.

The following morning, as I was reading Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 2 Samuel  22:1-51, I had an “ah-ha!” moment as I read these words:

Remarkable preservations should be particularly mentioned in our praises…

Those who receive signal mercies from God, ought to give him the glory.

Matthew Henry then points out that the very day God delivered David, David sang a song of praise to God, while God’s mercy was still fresh on his mind.

Dear Reader, daily listing God’s mercies, while they’re still fresh on our minds, keeps us reminded of His great goodness to us. By listing seemingly simple things like enjoying a meal with loved ones, we’ll be reminded of the remarkable preservations that He has given to us.

Apart from His tender mercies, all so undeserved, we would be the ones weeping in a hospital and praying for a life-saving miracle for a loved one.

My precious mother knew the truth of that, for she often said, “We should thank God for what He’s given us—and thank Him for what He has spared us from.”

Dear Reader, we can do both if we do two things:

1.  Notice and then list seemingly ordinary ways God says, “I love you.” For example, I’ve noticed—and written down—gifts such as these:

#25—Family photos showing “the way we were.” Happy memories!

#34—Overcast skies holding the promise of much-needed rain.

#99—Time today to “just be.”

2. Ponder the things He has spared us from. For example, relative to the three gifts above, I could also list: 

• few unhappy memories
• no severe drought
• relatively few days with no time “to just be."

Even though my current list now contains almost 1800 “good gifts” I’ve received from His loving hand in less than a year since I started keeping the journal, the list could easily double if I were to also list the things He’s spared me from.

Adding to the list each day has helped me to become even more thankful for the obviously "good gifts" He's given me--and for the things He has spared me from!

A photo of pages in my "Gifts" journal