is heaven a place or a person?  I think both:  heaven is the place where the Person, Jesus Christ, makes His home – and we are promised both – the place and the Person.

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”  (John 14:2-3)

we are promised not just eternity, but eternity with Jesus – that is the promise – that is the hope – that is “the certainty of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1) for we, who like Abraham, will believe God and God will credit it to us as righteousness.  (Genesis 15:6)

like heaven, home is both a place and a person – how fitting then, that one day heaven will be home for us who believe

sincerely,      Grace Day

it seems as if we are always looking to add a little glitz, a little glamour or glitter, some sparkle or shimmer or shine, some beautiful, bedazzling blitz of blinding bling to our everyday world and to everything in it, in order to transform it into something new and exciting and wonderful.  This morning I discovered the secret of the bling as it were, as I walked my ordinary morning walk just like any other mundane Monday morning.  I literally walked into a world of stunning beauty, but it took a dead brown leaf to open my eyes, before I could behold what surrounded me.

I almost stepped on this leaf in my path, a large deep brown, golden maple leaf lying face down on the ground.  Every vein was etched in glistening, sparkling moving points of light, giving depth and definition to this ordinary leaf making it an object of unspeakable beauty just as it was.  (here’s where a picture would truly be worth a thousand words, wish I had one to share with you, dear readers)

It was then I began to notice more leaves as I continued my walk, some on the path, most off to the sides covering the grass in various forms and formations.  But they all sparkled and shone as if they were outlined in dazzling diamonds, diamonds which were reflecting the early morning sunlight in all its’ glory.  God had bedazzled the world while I slept.

It seems we add glitter to a lot of things, especially around Christmas time.  If we want to make something stand out, make it more appealing, we add some glitter. (after all, glitter is to a decorator what spices are to a cook, namely the secret ingredient)  Well, God certainly knows the secret of the bling.  While the world is dark and sleeping He frosts everything; housetops, tree branches, grass, leaves, nothing is left untouched. Then God lets the light reveal His handiwork, slowly, breathtakingly, stunningly, with the rising of the sun we behold a world bedazzled by a trillion twinkling lights, everywhere we look.  This morning I saw that, everywhere I looked, everything shimmered as though covered with glittering diamonds, even dead brown leaves.

All those dead, brown leaves lying in such beauty all around, reflecting the morning light and reflecting the miracle of a Creator who “makes everything beautiful in its’ time.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  A Creator who, ” . . . gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”  (Romans 4:17)  A Creator who said, ” . . . I am making everything new!”  (Revelation 21:5)

Frost is not God’s only secret blinging agent.  I think of the diamonds dancing on the water of Lake Michigan or on any water for that matter.  Sparkles too spectacular to count or to describe properly, thousands of points of light bouncing on the waves, moving over the water, magnifying the light of the sun on the water in infinite brilliance, almost too much for human eyes.  and yet we get a glimpse of such beauty here on earth.

One of God’s best bedazzling jobs is, of course, the night sky.  We call them stars, too numerous for us to count, too far for us to ever reach them; (although God calls each one of them by name and puts them in their place) they fill our sky night after night with the beauty of a trillion twinkling lights.  Christmas Eve every night of the year.  You want to witness true bling?  just look up at the night sky!  It’s like God sprinkled glitter across the cosmos just for us.

How fitting then, that God should use a star to guide the wise men to His Son, Jesus, on that first Christmas.  God used light because ” . . .  God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”  (1 John 1:5)  And of course God was using light to lead the wise men to “the light”.   ” . . .  he (Jesus) said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ” (John 8:12)

I am thankful I opened my eyes this morning to see the brilliance of the bling God is bestowing on earth, His free gift to anyone who would look and see.  Lord help me open my eyes to see the light of Your star and to open my heart to let Your light and love and life enter in.  Help me to follow the light of Your star, which will lead me to Your Son, sent so long ago, on that first Christmas.  He is the true light.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”  (John 1:4-5)

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”  (Revelation 21:23)

No wonder God is the master blinger.  What is bling but light?  And God created light, God is light.  God fills the sky and the water and the land with His glitter and His sparkle, bedazzling us all; revealing Himself to us in a trillion twinkling points of light (like fireflys on a summer evening) every day and every night, He woos us with wonder – the wonder of His love for each of us – a love revealed for all time in the birth of Jesus into this world.  Merry Christmas to all!

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

I thought laryngitis (the loss of one’s voice) was an illness, turns out it is a teacher too.  Laryngitis teaches one, indeed requires one to listen.  Listening is an acquired skill, learned only through actually practicing said discipline.  Laryngitis is a tough taskmaster, but then listening is a tough lesson to learn. Laryngitis succeeds by forcing her students (the ones who suffers from said ailment) to get plenty of practice at listening.  In fact, laryngitis provides a 24/7 training experience until such time as the student is released from her class.  This occurs when the student no longer suffers from the illness that is laryngitis.

In the meantime, it is surprising the things that one can learn by listening. Laryngitis takes away my voice and in so doing gives voice to others.  Laryngitis  makes it possible for me to hear so much more clearly the voices of others around me.  This is an unexpected bonus of having laryngitis as are things like getting out of any scheduled presentations or other public speaking engagements one might have and getting to play the fun game of charades at work or wherever you might be, until your voice returns. (some have enjoyed playing charades so much that they have been known to fake the continuation of their laryngitis indefinitely)

Now I said laryngitis teaches one to listen by forcing them to do so.  The thing is, laryngitis provides the opportunity, the opportunity for me to listen.  Laryngitis requires me to listen but can she teach me to listen well?  There is a difference. And this difference makes all the difference in our relationships.  People need to know that they have been heard, they need to know that they have been understood.  Laryngitis can’t teach me to listen with my heart as well as my ears.  I need to learn to listen to what is behind the words that others speak, to listen to what their words cannot express, to listen to what their hearts are saying.

I am growing weary of playing charades every day, all day.  But laryngitis is still giving me opportunities to learn the lessons of listening, the lessons of listening well.  The secret lesson that laryngitis won’t tell you, I will, dear readers. Laryngitis makes me listen with my ears, but love beseeches me to listen with my heart.  They say that “practice makes perfect”, so perhaps that’s why laryngitis is taking her time with me.  She is perfecting my listening skills by giving me lots and lots of practice!  Thank you Lord for the blessing of the lessons I’m learning while laryngitis is living with me.

” . . . Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  (James 1:19-20)

“Come to Me with your ears wide open.  Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake.  I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you, to give you all the unfailing mercies and love that I had for King David.”  (Isaiah 55:3)

“Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise; apply your mind to know them; For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you; if all of them are ready upon your lips.”  (Proverbs 22:17-18)

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; . . . We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:19, 22-23)

So it’s not just me and it’s not my imagination; I am waiting and I am not waiting alone in this waiting room I call my life.  This unfulfilled longing, others feel it too! All of creation feels it!  So, I may be waiting – but all of creation is waiting right along with me.  I can take some comfort in that.

In my previous post I referenced all different kinds of waiting rooms, but truly earth is eternity’s waiting room and we all share it and the wait together.  I think I need to redefine this waiting room as a preparation room because I need to spend my time in this room preparing not simply passively waiting.

Now don’t get me wrong, dear readers; I feel like I’ve spent my life waiting – I always feel like I’m waiting on something or someone.  I started young, waiting to grow up, to be able to drive, to vote, to go to college.  Fortunately preparation was involved in these waits, whether in preparing for the driver’s test or  preparing to be ready for college classes by preparing in high school, these times of waiting were not idle times.

Yes, waiting is work if done properly – work in the form of preparation and prayer. We wait for/prepare for so many things in life.  A job; we wait for and prepare for many different jobs throughout our lifetimes, we prepare extensively (and possibly fanatically) for a wedding, leaving no detail to chance, though nothing can prepare us for the marriage that will follow.  We eagerly wait to become parents, but no book exists on adoption or on childbirth/parenthood whose abstract words can come close to the reality that is having children.

Inevitably, I seem to find myself waiting on various and sundry people and things at any given moment in time.  I feel like I spend a disproportionate amount of time waiting on “hold” for the next available customer service representative because they value me and my business is so important to them.  Others include but are not limited to (this is in no particular order of importance or frequency) the cable guy, the light to turn green, the other shoe to drop, the snow to melt, the sun to shine, to hear back from ?, to strike it rich, for the cows to come home, for the “right” time, for the healing of a loved one, for the healing of a relationship, for the pot I’m so diligently watching to boil, for dreams to become reality, for pigs to fly, (yes, I wait on the possible and the impossible with equal diligence), for hearts to change, for the trip not taken, for the door to open . . .

but if I am waiting on God, then I am not waiting in vain, but I am waiting in peace and with a purpose; a purpose not my own – but God’s eternal purpose.  I can take comfort in this truth when the waiting seems long with no end in my human sight.

We are all waiting on something or someone here in this waiting room we call life. A popular phrase in this culture is “prepare to meet your maker.”   Ironically, this phrase is literally true;  we are each engaged in the process of preparing to meet our Maker, whether we realize or acknowledge this fact or not.  This is exactly what we are doing every minute of every day.  We are in the process of preparing to meet our Maker/Creator.

Some of us are granted more time to wait than others, but eventually for each of us, our wait will be at an end.   Until then, Lord help me to wait well as I wait upon You.

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”  (Psalm 27:14)

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,  like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.”  (Luke 12:36)

“Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to reign righteousness on you.”  (Hosea 10:12)

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

sincerely,       Grace Day
 

waiting rooms come in all shapes and sizes but they share a common purpose that renders them all the same essentially.  Waiting rooms are one of the few things today that are aptly and truthfully named, in other words a “waiting room” is exactly that – a room where you go to wait – a room whose sole purpose is for you and for me and for others to “wait” in it.  That is its’ only function.  So the lessons learned in one waiting room will serve you well in whatever particular waiting room you find yourself today– I don’t know about you but I feel like a lot of my life is lived “on hold” or in one or another of the many waiting rooms of life so to speak;  so here are some of the lessons learned in the waiting room; perhaps you can relate:

The first is – always bring a good book or your current read because time (like a mind) is a terrible thing to waste and you never know how long the wait will be in any particular waiting room scenario

Next – always bring adequate snacks/ beverages because of the aforementioned reason; you never know how long you will be waiting in any given room designated solely for that purpose

Third, always leave plenty of margin in your schedule; again because of the fact that you can’t predict how long you will be held captive in the waiting room and knowing that you are expected to be somewhere else at a not too distant point in the future will make your experience in the waiting room a stressful one as you watch the minutes (hours?) tick away, all the while knowing that you are late for or are missing entirely your next appointment, engagement, scheduled activity or what have you

Fourth, bring work with you to do; including but not limited to bills, correspondence, answering emails, working remotely on your laptop etc.; this way you feel more productive and are less likely to feel like this time you are spending in the waiting room is wasted time

Fifth, catch up on your sleep (if you plan to implement this suggestion, you might want to bring a comfy pillow with you)  but, be forewarned – you in no way want to “sleep” through your appointment by missing your name and/or number when it is finally called

This next lesson should be self-evident but in case it is not – under no circumstances make eye contact or otherwise engage with those around you. Anonymity is a cherished hallmark of the sacred waiting room space and must be preserved; as well as the fact that eye contact could lead to a prolonged discourse with a total stranger, holding you captive as they recount and regale you with tales you never asked to hear thereby violating the unwritten code of silence rule governing waiting room protocol

Or, in direct opposition to the previous lesson – make every effort to obtain eye contact or to otherwise engage with your fellow captives in the waiting room. Why?  Because you can meet some really interesting people in waiting rooms, because conversation helps the time to pass more quickly by providing a welcome distraction and because as human beings we crave connection whether we admit to it or not.  The success of this mission will depend directly upon whether there are other persons in the waiting room besides yourself who have not learned the previously mentioned lessons listed above and so are as bored as you are and desperate for any distraction to pass the time

Another lesson – loose the earbuds,  listen and learn;  waiting rooms can be full of interest and intrigue for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear

If all else fails, you can always make a list of all the things you’ll do when you are no longer “waiting” in this room but finally free

And above all, it is imperative that you hang on to hope, that you don’t give up and don’t give in to despair – continue to hold out hope that yours will be the next name or number called

Now, dear reader, there are also things you should not do – under NO circumstances should you–

feed the fish – they are there for atmosphere and entertainment purposes only, you don’t want to be responsible for killing these fish – no one wants that on their conscience.  (popular wisdom has it that fish tanks create a soothing, relaxing atmosphere) because let’s face it, waiting rooms by definition are full of anxious, hurried people; people waiting to find out what’s wrong with their car, or their pet or themselves or a loved one, or with their taxes or well, what don’t we wait on? (I’ll get to that later on)

play your music loudly – this really needs no explanation, your musical tastes are probably not the same as those of the random stranger seated next to you; also you don’t want to make the people around you angry at the outset of your wait because you have no idea how much time you and your fellow waiting room hostages are going to be spending together

take up too much space – be cognizant of this, especially if you brought a pillow because your plan was to sleep away the wait

glare at others when they get called before you do; it’s not their fault

and lastly, under no circumstances should you ever give up hope of being called out; your time will come!

Now, waiting rooms vary widely,  some are more comfortable than others –

sometimes your car is your chair in the waiting room that is the interstate highway, packed with vehicles sitting still, with no way out, no exits in sight; this waiting room lacks the usual amenities . . .

we wait for many different reasons, sometimes for happy purposes like waiting for our number to be called at the ice cream place or we stand in line for concert or sporting event tickets.  I wonder if the wait seems shorter in those places than when waiting at the doctor’s office or at the BMV?  (now there’s an all day experience!) Not everyplace has a room designated for waiting, but we wait nonetheless. Verizon, Apple, Comcast, the bank, the attorney’s, the Post Office, the veterinarian’s office, the emergency room, any government office, customer service anywhere, the line at the grocery, the drive-through line at any fast food place (here the car is again the waiting room) we pretty much go from one waiting room to another

I don’t want waiting to be synonymous with wasting time; I would like to think my time in life’s many waiting rooms is not wasted but well spent or at least that it is serving a purpose.  This is difficult to believe because the term waiting itself implies that it is not the main event – but is the prelude to whatever it is that we are waiting for.

and it turns out we are all waiting for something; whether it’s food in the drive through or concert tickets or our car to be fixed or our problem to be solved; we are waiting for our moment to be seen and to be heard, for our turn to have our problems addressed and our concerns taken care of;  we are waiting for our turn with the person who can make that happen, and for that, we wait and we wait willingly . . .

I feel like earth is God’s waiting room and training ground.  Just like the waiting room, earth is not the main event, just the place where preparation for the main event, eternity, takes place.  So I want to make the best use of my time in this waiting room, because there are lessons to be learned in the waiting room and I need to learn them so that I will be prepared and ready when my name is finally called.

In the meantime I wait and I walk by faith – I listen and I learn

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  (Psalm 27:14)

“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”  (James 5:7-8)

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31)

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

I stand singing, surrounded by joy, by rejoicing, by love.  This is a typical Sunday morning at my church.  I said typical for my church, not necessarily for all churches that I have worshiped in over the years.  Why such an outpouring of joy here?  We are in an economically challenged, that is to say poor, neighborhood. There is more than our earthly share of pain, loss, illness, heartbreak, homelessness and suffering present here daily in our individual lives.  And yet such joy, such love is evident and present among us on this Sunday morning.  It defies explanation.  Or does it?

The words “But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”  (Luke 7:47) keep a constant refrain going in my mind until I realize this is the explanation for the outpouring of joy and love that I experience here every Sunday morning.  We are people who have been forgiven much and we know it; therefore we love much.

We are people who have come out of incarceration into freedom.  Not all of our incarcerations have been in a physical building, but we each one have been in bondage nonetheless.  We know what it is to be a prisoner.  Enslaved by our sins of addiction or greed or pride or hatred, we have now been set free by God’s redeeming love and forgiveness.  Because our sins are many, we are forgiven much leading us to love much; giving us reason to rejoice much.

We have each come out of incarceration into freedom, out of darkness into light, leaving behind the old – entering into the new, out of death into life, given a clean slate, a new beginning, a fresh start, a second chance; these all describe our transition from prisoner to free person.  That’s what we have in Christ, freedom. His forgiveness sets us free from our sin and gives us a new beginning every day.

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”  (Romans 6:18)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,”  (Isaiah 61:1)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  (John 8:36)

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”  (Ephesians 5:8)

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (Luke 8:32)

we have been forgiven much, we have been freed from the prison of our own sin by Christ’s death on the cross

therefore we will rejoice much and we will love much

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

“For God does speak – now one way, now another – though man may not perceive it.”  (Job 33:14)

“Be still and know that I am God;”  (Psalm 46:10)

“So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.”  (1 Samuel 3:9)

Heavenly Father,  help me to hear You;  and in that hearing to listen to You; and in that listening to learn well Your ways;  and in the learning help me to live out Your lessons;  and in the living out of Your lessons may I honor You and bring You glory

grant me a willing spirit to sustain me (Psalm 51) for it is by Your power, Your strength, Your Holy Spirit that I live and move and have my being (Acts 17:28) help me to hear Your voice Lord in the midst of this noisy world

“Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”  (Hebrews 3:15)

” I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you and watch over you.”  (Psalm 32:8)

“I am listening carefully to all the Lord is saying – for He speaks peace to His people, His saints, if they will only stop their sinning.”  (Psalm 85:8 Living Bible)

“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”  (Psalm 62:5-6)

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is His name:  ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ ”  (Jeremiah 33:2-3)

speak Lord, your servant is listening,

sincerely,         Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

with twenty thousand of my closest friends –  well, twenty-thousand, eight hundred and fifty-nine to be exact.  (but who’s counting?)  Some of my friends were running, I guess they were in a hurry to get home for turkey dinner; but the rest of us, (about nineteen-thousand or so) walked parade style through the neighborhood enjoying the day, each other’s company and the spectacle (or maybe pageantry is a better word) of the occasion.

My fellow walkers and runners were of all shapes and sizes, of all ages and ethnicities, of all athletic abilities from those in wheelchairs to those with wings on their feet.  Some were riding in strollers while others with white hair strolled the street beside them.  (remember, God’s word says white hair is a crown of glory)  So how did I know these people were all my close, personal friends?  We were all wearing the same shirt!  Yes, this is true.  We were all wearing the same bright red shirt with the same logo.  Now that’s unity!

Unity in the midst of such diversity is a beautiful thing to behold.  And we were a united group – united in the reason we had each decided to take a walk or a run on this particular Thanksgiving day.  We were walking/running to support those less fortunate, those in need of food and shelter.  Those in need of what Wheeler Mission provides for people on a daily basis.

The event is the Drumstick Dash, the reason – raise support for Wheeler Mission and its’ many ministries, the result- many homeless people receive food, shelter, job training, counseling, support as they transition out of addiction to a new life and receive life itself as they learn the truth of the gospel message.  Wheeler Mission ministers to the whole person, both body and spirit.

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”  (James 2:15-16)

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Wheeler Mission addresses both the physical and spiritual needs of  each and every person that they serve.  This is what my fellow walkers/runners and I were united in supporting as we participated in the extravaganza on Thanksgiving morning.  And believe me, it was extravagant, just like God’s love for each and every one of us.

There was live music and a light-hearted atmosphere as mini beach balls bounced around everywhere.  The Drumstick Dash is a mixture of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one festive event.  Costumes are everywhere you look.  (just like Halloween)  You see some Santas, gingerbread men and other Christmas themed participants.  And true to Thanksgiving tradition (besides the turkeys) there are friends, family, food, fellowship, fun, and a faith that unites us in our diversity.  A faith that says, people are redeemable not disposable.  A faith that believes in second chances to the same infinite degree that God commands us to forgive one another.  A faith that sustains. A faith that brings hope to the hurting people that Wheeler Mission serves every day of the year.

So . . .  I took a walk today with several thousand of my close, personal friends and in the process helped to make the world a little better place.  Wheeler is so much more than a walk, but the money raised on this one day supports their many ministries to people in need every day of the year.  I will continue this walk, united in faith with all those who shared these special moments with me on this day;  this day designated and dedicated to counting our blessings, to sharing what we’ve been blessed with and to giving thanks to the Giver of all good gifts, our Heavenly Father.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  (James 1:17)

gratefully and sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it seemed overnight that they mysteriously disappeared from front porches and front lawns, which is probably an appropriate exit considering their nature – all spooky and what not; ghosts, goblins, mummies, bats, tombstones and other Halloween type decorations that had filled front yards in many a neighborhood. But I barely had time to notice their absence as the orange lights had already been replaced with Christmas lights and snowmen and Santa Clauses stood where ghosts and goblins had been only the day before.

Colorful costumes and candy corn are traded in for Christmas carols and candy canes so quickly that something is lost in the exchange.  That something is the holiday of Thanksgiving.  A favorite for sure of any true foodie, Thanksgiving is a holiday full of food, family, friends, football, fellowship and fun; a uniquely American holiday.

Thanksgiving, however, seems to get lost in the shuffle between Halloween and Christmas every year.  Maybe it’s because there are no decorations required or gifts to buy, it is not a retail holiday but it is a real holiday.  (if the Post Office is closed it’s officially a real holiday)  Unfortunately, Thanksgiving Thursday has become the new Black Friday.  Yes, Black Friday now happens on Thanksgiving Day.

So now this lost, overlooked holiday is being erased by the retail rush to began the Christmas season. (notice Christmas has a season, not just a day)  And judging from all the demands and stress that can accompany the Christmas season, one would think we would value a day of doing nothing but eating, napping and watching football continuously.  We need to prepare ourselves for the season ahead.

But more than that, we need to take the time to be grateful, to be intentional about acknowledging all that is good in our lives, to focus on what we do have rather than on what we feel we lack.  Unfortunately, our culture wants to keep us in a state of discontent, so that we are always longing for more of something or for something different than what we already have.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men.  Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.” (Psalm 107:21-22)

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – ”  (Psalm 103:2)

that’s the thing, true Thanksgiving involves remembering – remembering what God has done for us in loving us enough to send us Jesus, what Jesus has done for us by dying on that cross to pay the price of my sin and your sin, remembering acts of kindness rather than choosing to focus on the times others let us down.

“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

that may be easier said than done, but gratefulness is the key that frees us up to appreciate and enjoy what we already have instead of wishing for what we don’t.

“Give thanks to the God of heaven.  His love endures forever.”  (Psalm 136:26)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  (James 1:17)

Lord, tomorrow (and every day) help me to count my blessings, knowing they all come from You the Giver of every good gift.  For food, for freedom, for family, for friends, for forgiveness, for faith – let me be truly thankful.

gratefully,      Grace Day

other fantastically futile feats of the everyday homemaker.  This is truly one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe; can a fitted sheet ever really be folded properly?  Whoever invented the fitted sheet solved one problem and created another equally frustrating problem.  Folding fitted sheets falls last on my list of things to do.  Folding fitted sheets is like herding cats, it can’t be done successfully. Even the U. S. military knows this — why do you think they don’t use fitted sheets?

Fitted sheets were made for a very specific, useful purpose but they weren’t made to “fit” the standards of flatness that any respectable sheet attempts to attain when folded.  Fitted sheets are fine as long as they are fulfilling their purpose, as long as they are in use.  The trouble arises when they are not being used and must be folded, taken out of circulation so to speak, sidelined, relegated to a shelf in a linen closet.  But here the fitted sheets don’t fit, they can’t possibly reach the standard of flatness attained by the other sheets.

Let’s face facts friends.  Fitted sheets and folded flat are mutually exclusive.  If I can accept this truth perhaps my frustration with folding fitted sheets will cease. It is wasted effort and energy on my part to expect my fitted sheets to fit a folded form they were not formed to fit.

Folding fitted sheets has been frustrating for me for years.  But as I write this I am experiencing empathy for my fitted sheets for the first time.  Why?  Because I often feel like a fitted sheet – I just don’t fit in, measure up to, or conform to the standards of the culture in which I live my daily life.  I don’t “fit” in my world any more than my fitted sheets “fit” in my linen closet with all those perfectly folded flat sheets.

I was created by God for His good purposes.  I was created to serve something other than myself.  I was not made to be put away on a shelf, where I could rest and hang out with others doing the same thing.  I was created for a purpose and can find fulfillment only in filling that purpose.  This is not the easy way.  Like the fitted sheet that I identify with, which must be stretched in many directions to fulfill its’ function – I must be stretched in many ways to fulfill my purpose.

Luke 2:52 tells me, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”  If I am going to grow, I will be stretched out of my comfort zones.  So I am stretched intellectually, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally as I grow in faith and am used by God for His purposes, not my own.  Left to myself, I would not choose the discomfort of being stretched in so many different directions and so many different ways.  But if I am sitting folded on the shelf, I am out of place.  I don’t fit in because I can’t conform to the flatly folded image of the sheets around me.  I can’t conform because I was created differently, created for something different.  (just as the fitted sheet is created for fitting over the mattress but not for folding)  I don’t belong there.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (Romans 12:2)

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.  If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.  So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”  (Romans 14:7)

I’m tired of trying to fold fitted sheets, expecting them to conform to the flat form of pillow cases and other sheets.  I need to stop trying to conform myself to the expectations of those around me, but instead allow myself to be transformed by Christ’s redeeming love into the person He created me to be all along.  That transformation may mean being stretched a lot as I serve out my purpose, but it will lead to fulfillment as I live out the purpose for which I was created.

and this, dear readers, is the parable of the fitted sheet.

sincerely,            Grace Day