Category: Contentment

The Gift of 86,400 Seconds

Published on by Rebecca GilbreathLeave a comment

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you”?

William Ward

It is quite challenging to have a theme each month – for study, for photo opportunities/stray gifts – and it’s only February! I have followed other challenges in the past, but felt God was leading me to create my own based on where He was guiding my studies and blog writing. For this month’s stray gifts theme, the words which came to mind were: admirable, kind, lovely, and sweet. For anyone who may be reading the term ‘stray gifts’ in my writing for the first time, it is based on a quote by William Wadsworth who wrote, “Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find”. I have been taking notes, snapping photos, and writing about noticing these ‘stray gifts’, but with the take on that God has His hand in everything. These gifts really are not strays, but handfuls of purpose in my path that He put there to bring my attention to Him. Here is what I have so far for February: (photos first this time, explanations below)

#1) “Lovely” – From our kitchen window this week, we watched this bird (I think a finch) eating away at the feeder. He had beautiful red and brown feathers.

#2) “Admirable” – Jonathan (my son) is a junior at UTEP and it is his first semester attending. In between classes or while waiting for my husband to be done with work, he has been walking all over campus to see what’s what. The theater, science buildings, the basketball stadium that was used in the 60’s. Track and field, football stadium, Geology building, Fine Arts building where he found himself beneath the stage…I say “admirable” because he was curious about something and went to explore. He could have looked at photos online and it would have been much easier. But he has been walking all around the campus lately because he was interested. He walked in cowboy boots, by the way. Because ..well…we’re in Texas. That’s what we do.

#3) “Sweet” – TWO lovely cards last week. What a fun surprise! The handmade card and envelope from my 11 yr old niece. I love it! The other card from a long time friend which made it all the more special.

#4) “Lovely” – Don Juan climbing red rose bush with baby leaves. I read that climbing roses need not be pruned right away, to wait until after the first bloom. I only planted this last year so I am looking forward to seeing how they do this year. #straygifts in lovely red roses wanting to wake up already.

#5) “Sweet” – My husband brought home these cookies for me knowing I love a chocolate and mint combination. Coincidentally, I was drinking mint tea that day because I was in the mood for it. (He didn’t know that.)

#6) “Kind” – My husband isn’t really known for being a “kid person”, yet somehow he has managed to have a collection of buddies in our church in Mexico. We are not sure when this game started of him getting their shoes and putting them just out of reach, but they are highly entertained by it. They pretty much hand him a shoe for him to toss. Sometimes, my tall son comes to the rescue with a ladder to get shoes off the roof. Stray gifts in surprising entertainment, kind adults who play with kids, and sweet play, too.

Strength of Heart

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“Follow your heart”, the world advises. “If it feels good, do it.” Yet in the Bible, God guides us to trust HIS heart and HIS path because our hearts lead us astray all too easily. The heart is deceitful, wicked, swayed and distracted. But there is H O P E. There is a Redeemer who longs to cleanse, heal, renew, and guide.

Over on Facebook this month, I have been posting Scripture verses pertaining to my February “Grace Goals”. Along with these verses, I have been sharing prayers and thoughts. Here are last week’s reflections:

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Within me, Lord, let no seed of resentment take root and grow.

Within me, I want to know joy, wisdom, and grace.

Within me, deep down, I know that strength of heart comes from not comparing my life to others or in jumping to conclusions. It comes from trusting You and Your plan for my life and the way I should go.

Within me, plant a will to forgive and the ability to extend mercy for I have received above and beyond what I deserve from You.

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I want to see You, Lord, in the every day.

Shadows fall, I turn to disbelief instead of the Divine.

Keep my heart pure from doubting that You are good. Keep me safe from the shouting of the world and from those against You, so that I may notice Your hand working in ways I may not see and hear Your still small voice.

In order to truly see You, free my heart from distrust, from complaining, from comparing and dissatisfaction. You have given me more than I deserve and more than I will ever need. When my heart and thoughts are focused in the right direction, I will see all that You have given me and all that You are.

_______________________________________

My flesh and my heart ignores, neglects, deserts, disappoints, and forgets.

But…However…Nevertheless…Still

God is my courage, my stability, my anchor, my might.

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Wait on the Lord…continue, persevere, endure, persist, remain

and He will…

bolster, establish, restore, sustain, fortify.

Your Very Own Self

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Somewhere along the way through time, the notion has been planted in young minds that being the same is the way to go. This pressure of uniformity stays with many of us as an adult. It can lead to a life of feeling lonely when we are not comfortable in our own skin. Unsure of who to follow, we change the way we look, the way we act, and the way we think just to (hopefully) be accepted. If you are ‘different’, you are labeled an outsider and you do not belong. The media or whoever spread this thought is dead wrong. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)→ each and every individual. And with our individual differences, we can serve God and make the body of Christ a beautiful thing to behold and a wonderful place to belong.

I am sharing a quote written by author Jan Karon who wrote this on her Facebook page a few years ago. ‘Comparison issues’ and feelings of self-consciousnesses can plague us for years. It is exhausting mentally and spiritually for that is not the way God would have us see ourselves. I am encouraged by the following quote to be more God-conscious, not self-conscious. I am motivated to keep complimenting (part of January’s Grace Goals) others because I never know just how much that person might have needed reassurance and support on a particular day.

From Jan Karon- January 4, 2016:

“For our readers who did not grow up in the South: a generous portion of okra or beans or collards or salad greens, etc, is called a “mess”.

I was always different. I never felt that I fit in anywhere. Some of you know that feeling. Usually, I felt too dumb or too smart, too thin or too fat, too short or (at a mere 5’3” I never felt too tall). I just couldn’t find a way to identify whatever myself might really be.

When I was seven or eight years old, my grandmother, Miss Fannie, gave me a bemused look and said, “Janice, you’re different.” There was a long pause; my very life seemed to hang suspended. “And,” she said, “that’s a good thing.”

It took decades for me to understand and believe that. And here’s an experience that helped.

I was getting ready to fry okra, and while washing it, came across a green bean that had somehow landed in that mess of okra. I cut the green bean in three or four pieces and coated them with batter, and every now and then, in that melange of fried okra, I’d come across a delicious bit of green bean.

What a difference.

I believe it takes a whole mess of okra to make one green bean so full of surprise.

God didn’t make you like everybody else, of course. He made you like your very own self. Something special. Something different.

If you’re still trying to figure out what that wonderful difference is, here’s the best way, in my opinion, to find out.

Say, “God, you made me and you know what you made me to be. What is it? Show me. I want to know. Because whatever you made me to be, that’s exactly what I want to be. I’m excited! Thank you.”

The Day’s Resolutions

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I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.

H. Moore

For me, it is difficult to resolve to do something for a whole year. I make plans to lose weight, but life gets busy and rough and sometimes, eating out is the simplest. I do not always make the wisest choices when eating out and on busy days, I tend to forget making time to exercise. My husband and I make plans to save money, but the truck breaks down, prescriptions need to be filled, shoes wear out, a loved one needs help, and the list could go on. A few months pass by in the new year and discouragement sets in.

What if I think in terms of the day’s resolutions instead? Thinking about maintaining a new habit for a whole year tends to feel overwhelming, but I believe I can manage one day at a time.

Today I will resolve to:

  • Summon the courage to face a problem so I won’t have to deal with it tomorrow.
  • Dedicate my thoughts to making one right decision at a time.
  • Live in grace when ‘productivity’ may be resting and not accomplishing tasks on a to-do list.
  • Look for the gifts in life and not focus on the grief.

Last year, I started looking more for the gifts in life. This treasure hunt every day helps me remember God’s involvement in even the smallest of details. I am continuing this search for the gifts because I believe it has helped me to notice His hand in my life more than ever. For January, I have a had a focus to look for four types of gifts: white, inspirational, heartfelt, and brand new.

Here are the latest photos in stray gifts.

Top Row: (Left) White alyssums still alive during the cold weather. (Right) Beautiful pine cones noticed on one of our walks. I love the contrast of white and brown.

Middle Row: (Left) I am not sure where this inspirational book of prayers came from, but I love a lot of the poems in here and share them on social media often. (Right) While out watering and checking on my plants, I was struck by the new growth of mum leaves.

Bottom Row: (Left) On a walk last week, we saw bare trees, palm trees, and birds in trees. Art in nature is always inspirational. (Right) A brand new scent to the earth and all that is in it after a good rain.

Not pictured: Stray gifts “heartfelt” showed up in thanks around the table last week from my husband, my son, and my dad over mashed potatoes -which I don’t make too often. I think my dad had potatoes with a side of rotisserie chicken and broccoli! (Maybe I need to make mashed potatoes more often?) ‘Grateful for thankful hearts and food on the table. And for the aforementioned men who help clear the table and wash the dishes!


Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
-William Wordsworth, 1806

Everything a Miracle

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“It was Einstein who said

either nothing is a miracle,

or everything is –

a jagged mountain range,

lilacs in bloom,

a peacock unfurled,

sun on your arm,

the touch of a stranger.

Take your pick: be surprised

by nothing at all,

or by everything that is.”

-Poem “Epiphany” by Maryanne Hannan

We were surprised by the beautiful snow falling last night and again this morning – a definite ‘stray gifts’ moment since snow is so rare in these parts. Here is a collage of photos I took in my backyard this morning.

And Happy New Year to you! May you find your very own stray gifts, miracles, and surprises in each new day of 2019.

Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. -William Wordsworth, 1806

A Different Set of Circumstances

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Fixed on Faith #10: The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.

I have been writing Fixed on Faith posts for quite a while now based on the Bible verses, Proverbs 4:25-26, “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” It is so easy to become distracted with technology at our fingertips. Discontentment reigns as we are able to view how other people live, seemingly more successful and happy than we are. Keyword: seemingly. No matter where I am, I live. How I live is another story. I have lived in many places and I wonder how many of those years I used wishing to be somewhere else. In a bigger house. In a better neighborhood. In a different church. In another climate. One can wish away a life without even realizing it. No matter my circumstances, how I live is important.  When I choose to live by faith because I am loved, I am redeemed, and I am safe, it changes how I see. “If Satan can keep my eyes from the Word, my eyesight is too poor to read light-to fill with light…Without God’s Word as a lens, the world warps” (Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts). Satan whispers the words, “failure”, “cheated”, and “worthless” into our ears and all too often, our hearts ache with a feeling of emptiness.

“The secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is” (Ann Voskamp). The secret to living joy-full is not in the circumstances, the location, the state of health or wealth, it is in Christ’s filling us up of Himself.

Galatians 2:20 –“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

The life I live in the flesh can only be lived with contentment through faith in the Son of God. The flesh is weak and can be easily misguided into wishing for someone else’s life, location, church, or family. Sometimes a move away from something or someone is necessary. When we choose to use God’s Word as a lens, when we seek Christ to guide us, we will know whether He is leading us away from a valley of circumstances or through it.

Where Greatness Lies

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I Chronicles 16: 10-11, “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”

The holidays are here along with the hustle and bustle, cleaning up after Thanksgiving leftovers, extra things on our to-do list, shopping, decorating for Christmas, and planning holiday activities. It is a lot to think about and we can quickly feel overwhelmed. We want the Christmas season to be great, but if we wear ourselves out by doing too much, we are left with no strength and are weary by the end of the holidays. Greatness in the season does not have to mean being strong for each and every activity that comes along. Strength lies in knowing when to say, “Yes” and what needs to be, “Not this year”. Either way, being able to rejoice in our hearts because we made the right decision is quite rewarding. The right use of strength is seeking God’s glory in everything.

Maybe you do have the time and energy to fit as many activities in as possible. But if you are in the camp of , “It’s been a rough year. I want to do a few fun things with family/friends/church, and the rest of the time watch Hallmark movies in my fuzzy socks and comfy pajamas sipping a peppermint mocha. I want to read a really good book tucked under a warm blanket…”, that is OK too. If you would love to have people over, but do not want complicated, homemade soup simmering in a crockpot all day and a loaf of homemade or bakery bread is one solution for a low stress get-together meal. Or invite your guests to bring their favorite ‘potluck’ dishes to share. Greatness can be found in the ordinary. After all, Jesus ministered to thousands with every-day fish and bread!

It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and feel pulled along. Peer pressure does not happen only with the young, but it also happens in our lives as busy adults. The right use of strength is doing what is best for your family, even if it means simplifying by doing less and even if it means a get-together over coffee after the holidays and hustle and bustle.  Whatever choice we decide to make, let’s seek the Lord’s wisdom first and do everything in honor of Him. Bringing glory to God will not happen if we feel overpowered by activity lists and lose the wonder and magnificence of the Christmas season. When we seek His strength, we preserve our own.  

“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.”

I’m Learning

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On the weekends, I try to make enough breakfast on Saturday to be Sunday morning breakfast as well. I double the recipe for waffles so that Sunday morning, all we need to do is cook sausage links and reheat the waffles. Last Saturday, I was on a time crunch because my dad and I had wanted to go to WalMart before the crazy traffic started. I asked my 22-year-old son to help finish making the waffles so I could shower and get dressed before breakfast. He was willing to help but had never manned a waffle iron before. I showed him about how much batter to put in the machine and told him to watch the light. I instructed that when the light clicked off, the waffle should be done. “Easy enough”, I thought, and left it to his available hands. After I showered, I called down to him from upstairs to check how he was doing. “I’m learning”, he replied. When I was dressed and ready, I walked in the kitchen to a mess on the kitchen counter. Batter was spilled as he had put too much batter in the waffle iron several times. Not only was it over the sides of the waffle iron, but also on the counter. However, he had successfully cooked all of the batter for waffles and had started working on cleaning up everything.

There was no complaining. He did not stress that he was making a mess. He simply stated that he was learning.

To Learn:  to gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught; commit to memory; become aware of (something) by information or from observation

Learning is acquiring, studying, experiencing, memorizing, observing. It is a process. And the process is messy at times. Emotionally. Physically. Spiritually. I began to think about just life in general and what my response is to different situations that come my way. If you have taught children, you know we have to let go to let them learn.  Let them make a mess and figure things out under our watchful eyes. While we may show patience to children, it is difficult to be patient with ourselves. But God our Heavenly Father is ever watchful, ever patient, never leaving us to fend for ourselves. He gives us instructions in the Bible on how to live. He knows that making mistakes and learning we can trust Him is necessary. It is vital in learning to love, to forgive, to show grace to ourselves and to others. For the times we just cannot seem to ‘get it right’, “I’m learning” is a great point of view.

I am learning to show myself grace when I am tired and let the to-do list alone.

I am learning to accept help.

I am learning that perfectionism stifles.

I am learning that it is OK that our path in life has had many bends in the road and our journey does not look like anyone else’s.

I am learning that through grief, through disappointments, I will be OK as long as I take one breath at a time and trust God to get me through ‘this moment’.

I am learning my gifts, my strong attributes, my weaknesses, and it is a journey. I could scold myself thinking I should know all this already at my age. I have a choice between stressing over ‘not getting it right’ or making progress by acknowledging that as long as there is life, there is more to learn.

It is the end of the year and the new year will be here before we know it. Let’s not choose stress and guilt to be our anthem in 2019. Let’s pick up where we left off, clean up what needs to be cleaned up, and count the experiences in 2018 as a lesson learned.  Let’s choose life.

Life is learning. And learning is life.

Distracted Living Is Dangerous Living

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We have a schedule for nearly everything in this day and age. We set alarms and reminders for when to wake up, when to start making dinner, when to take medicine, when we have appointments. But seeing the hand of God work in healing, in miracles, in faith coming to light is something that cannot be scheduled. We have to show up every day willing to be observant. “The masses will follow the leader who is the loudest”, I read once. God leads with a still small voice and the followers are few. We live in a distracted society and the rush of time dominates. Distracted living is dangerous living, I think, for when we are distracted, it is easy to miss the “God-moments” in a day and His prompting in the right direction. We want the big moments for the big testimony, yet the big moments are made up from a collection of all the beautiful things, the noble acts, and the sacred connections. If we miss the small moments every day, we will miss a lifetime. Every gift matters as it is God’s reminder that He is mindful of us. He visits us in the messy daily life loving us, teaching us, showing us how to live. To change from the hurry and worry mindset to halt and worship can take mere seconds if we choose. We are not forced to live open to grace. He gives us each the liberty to decide. Help me, Lord, to choose You.
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#straygifts update: Here is an all Chrysanthemum collage. I really did buy this many colors when they were on sale last month! That is, all except the top left corner. The red mums were the very first ones I bought a few years ago. I did not know much about perennials versus annuals, so when I noticed leaves coming back in the spring, it was quite a surprise for me. I have learned a few things since then and know that I love to see last year’s plants come back to life after a cold season.
*****
Pleasure is spread through the earth
in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. ~William Wordsworth, 1806

 

A Different Sort of Kingdom

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A while back, I read a thought-provoking web post on the topic, Consider the Lilies. In it, the author Jill Carattini wrote,  “..Beauty can offer healing; that paying attention, even to fleeting glimpses of the mere suggestion of new creation, is deeply restorative…It is quite possible to see and not really see, to hear and not really hear…When Jesus asks the world to consider the lilies, to consider beauty in the midst of all the ashes around us, his request is full of promise, for he is both the Source of beauty and its Subject.”

Luke 12:27, “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” I cannot even imagine the opulence of King Solomon “in all his glory” – Our minds probably could not even comprehend what he possessed in his palace or storehouses. Yet, the lily is much more exquisite than anything Solomon owned. Jesus wants us to be aware of how the ravens are fed with very little effort on their part. And He wants us to examine the beauty of the lily and its Source.

“Paying attention to the ephemeral [or short-lived] is in and of itself restorative because it is paying attention to him. Here, both the anxiety-addicted and the attention-overloaded can find solace in a different sort of kingdom: one in which there is room for the paradox of a fleeting world with eternity in its heart.” (J. Carattini)

Ah, the world is filled with the anxiety addicted and the attention-overloaded, Christians not excluded. The remedy is finding solace in a different sort of kingdom, keeping in mind the Source of beauty around us, with eternity in our sites. Here is the latest in my little kingdom/#straygifts photos: (no pictures of ravens or lilies, I’m afraid, but still some of God’s wonders.)

Top Row (left to right):
-$4.00 Mums on the Clearance shelves. These yellow ones look a bit frazzled, but the leaves look healthy. The brightest and best were near $15.00, but I knew this one would be o.k. after some trimming. (For the record, I also bought white, purple, orange, and red Mums as well on the Clearance shelves!)
-Yellow roses on the rose bushes out front.
-Tiny little Red Salvia blooms…a new plant for me this year. I didn’t know if they would bloom again.
-For weekends, for rest, I’m thankful. For a bird feeder- a gift from a young friend years ago, for yellow trumpet flowers, and southwestern sunsets, thank you, Lord.

Bottom Row:
-Most of my roses are all withering at the moment, but the honeysuckle blooms have decided to make an appearance.
-Regularly $20.00, I bought these packs of Fall paper for $6.00 each. I have been trying to get back into card making/sending notes lately.
-Gentle rain on roses
-I was pruning the front yard roses one morning as my husband was pulling out of the driveway. He stopped to show me the reflection of the sunrise in the front windows.