Bedtime Thoughts
As I lay here tonight trying to sleep, I can’t help but reflect on all of the beautiful blessings and gifts of joy and love my Papa has lavished on me this weekend. First of all one of my friends had a beautiful baby girl who is healthy and happy and has gotten to go home and join her three older siblings. This is something we have been praying for months about due to scares early in her development. But I can say with all confidence that we serve a God who still works miracles, hears the cries of His children, and heals! He is El Rapha, the Healer!
Then my parents and grandparents both celebrated anniversaries today. My parents have been married for 29 years today and my grandparents have been married for 63 years. Yes, both sets of my grandparents (one set who is celebrating in Heaven) and my parents all share the same wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful day spent enjoying each others company and the company of family and soon to be family (my sister’s fiance).
And to top it all off, one of my best friends got engaged tonight to the man of her dreams. While I am not there physically to celebrate this occasion, I am cheering them on from several states away.
It continually astounds me at how much Papa loves me and chooses to lavish His blessings upon me. These may not seem like major things to others, but after living almost 26 years here with the story Papa has written for my life, I have come to cherish the small things in life.
It’s the small things that have the biggest impact.
This was a truth I knew deep down, but didn’t realize the fullness of until the World Race. After traveling the world and living in so many different cultures and contexts, it truly is the small things that make the biggest impact. It’s the smile to a stranger. It’s the food offered to someone in need. It’s holding a door for someone else. It’s offering to love someone through small deeds, just to show them Papa’s love.
Isn’t that what our parent’s did for us? Isn’t that what God does for His children? Are we stopping during the day to realize all of the small ways others and more importantly Papa has poured out His unending love upon us? It’s these small things in life that will cause us to think and act differently. When we realize how much of an impact a small act has had on our lives, we will seek the opportunity to have that impact on others.
This blog has gone a completely different way that I had planned when I pulled out my computer to write it. I take this to mean that someone reading this needed to hear these words and gain a different perspective and see the love of Papa in their lives. So if this is you, I pray that you feel the love of Papa in a new and extravagant way. He loves you so much and wants nothing more than to pour that love out upon you. But you have to let Him love you. It’s not always easy opening yourself up to it. Being vulnerable and trusting are difficult things. Believe me! I’ve been there and am still walking through it and learning how to trust and allow Papa to love me fully each and every day. I promise you this though, my days are a lot brighter and filled with more love now that I make the effort to allow Him to do these things.
YOU ARE LOVED!!!!!!
