Category: Life

The Joy Dare – Three Surprise Gifts

I slept in late this morning (I couldn’t fall asleep last night), so I was concerned that I wouldn’t have much time to encounter my “Three Surprise Gifts” today. But as I’ve mentioned in the past, God always seems to provide! 🙂

  1. A Video that Made me Smile – I have a friend on the blogosphere named “Z,” and she is just AWESOME. I hopped on over to her site today, and was surprised by the amusement that a video she had posted gave to me. 😀 It is a video of her preparing a cup of tea. It may not sound like it would be too enthralling, but, because of Z, it was! You MUST visit her blog and check out the video. It is so entirely cute! And please, read her posts and get to know her better. She is such a special little lady! ❤
  2. Coinciding Pet Naps – I know that it might not seem like much, but my dog Daisy and cat Misty took naps at the same time today. This enabled me to be able to fill out some paperwork that I needed to complete for an upcoming doctor’s appointment. It is not all the time that this happens, so I was – yes – pleasantly SURPRISED! 😉
  3. An Awesome Handbell Rehearsal – My last surprise came this evening as our handbell choir practiced for the final time before our performance this Sunday. It was wondrous! Did I play perfectly? No. Did I nail every part that I was supposed to? No. But there were one or two repetitions of the more difficult piece we’re performing that made me happy, because I actually played a section correctly that I had been struggling with. Now I’m just praying that I remember how to recreate this for the performance!

Praise God for Three Surprise Gifts of Unexpected Grace! ❤

Photo Credit: Zwaddi

Be Still and Trust My Plan

My mind and emotions have been running around like crazy recently. I’ve had a few ideas, one of which is a direct-selling job. Another is the possibility of taking a three-month course at a local institute. The hardest part is not knowing. I toss the options around in my head, and do a crazy amount of research, but I just am not certain what to do.

I think another difficult aspect is letting go. My nature is to try to figure everything out, and to make sure what the right decision is. But God has been teaching me that I need to be still. To quiet my mind, calm my heart, and rest my body. What I DON’T want to do is to move ahead of Him, and to take on something that is not His will. That would be a road that I could not and would not want to travel.

“I do not believe we have even begun to understand the wonderful power there is in being still. We are in such a hurry, always doing, that we are in danger of not allowing God the opportunity to work. You may be sure that God will never say to us, ‘Stand still,’ ‘Sit still,’ or ‘Be still,’ unless He is going to do something. This is our problem regarding the Christian life: we want to do something to be Christians, instead of allowing Him to work in us.” ~ Crumbs

I’ve found that I’ve had to force myself to let go of these decisions. To take my meddling hands off of them. It’s amazing how God has already begun to lead me. Just little things, but I know that they are from Him. I believe that if I continue to quiet my heart and listen for His voice, He will show me the right way to go.

“Be still and trust My plan, I’m more than you think I am.” ~ Danny Gokey

Photo Credit: Alex Talmon

The Joy Dare – Three Gifts Red

Rojo. Rouge. Rot. Rosso. Today’s dare was to identify three gifts RED! I thought that this would be a difficult challenge; but thankfully, red is a dazzling color, and the gifts just kind of popped out at me. 😉

  1. A Gift to Be Worn – My Mom gave me a pretty sweater a month or so ago (for Christmas, actually). I haven’t had an opportunity to wear it yet…but with Valentine’s Day coming up soon, this would be the perfect opportunity! The sweater reminds me of my Mom’s thoughtfulness and generosity.IMG_0954
  2. A Gift to Display – A second gift that my Mom gave me recently was a Valentine’s Day wreath. I can put it up outside our front door, or anywhere else around the house. I’m just very grateful that she thinks about me wherever she is, and takes the time to pick something up for me that she believes I will like. 🙂valentine-wreath
  3. A Gift to be Read – God’s Heart For You by Holley Gerth is actually a gift that I purchased for myself several years ago. 😀 It’s a calendar with a quote or saying for each day, that is meant to encourage and uplift you. I’m not extremely faithful about reading it, but when I do, God always seems to have the perfect words of love for me.IMG_0951

~

You really are forgiven,

slate-wiped-clean,

sins-washed-away,

brand new.

All those mistakes,

all that pain,

there’s only

one thing that remains…

grace.

~

Praise God for Three Gifts Red! ❤

Featured Photo Credit: Unknown