Yep, summer has officially arrived – both on the calendar and in the weather forecast. How can it turn so hot so quickly? With this heat wave, I’m now “thawed out from winter.” I joke about me being “frozen” until July or August. Can’t say that this year.
Today, I babysat two of our grandchildren. They live next door to us, so I’m the convenient child watcher. I don’t mind as I love our grandchildren very much. With this heat, even the little ones didn’t want to play outside. Our indoor play consisted of toy playing and craft. Our 5 year old granddaughter is so creative. Every bone in her body says creativity. With that gift comes a slight curse, every single piece of paper has meaning and can’t be thrown away (as I found out when I was helping her clean her room the other day).
Along with her creative gift, is a heart sensitive to life’s emotions. She and my dad (her great grandfather) had a special relationship. She brought much joy to his frail life. And at his funeral, she wanted to give him a kiss. I lifted her up, so she could do so. She doesn’t understand the whole life cycle just yet, but she knows he is with Jesus.
Well, today she gathered all the envelopes, cards, markers, tape, post-it notes, scissors and rulers to make her craft projects. Of course, Grandma wasn’t exempt from this activity. I was handed scissors and paper to “make something.” The only thing I know how to make is hearts by folding the paper in half and cutting diagonally with a hump at the top then another diagonal cut toward the fold. Simple, yet it delighted the granddaughter. Without wasting any paper, I took the scraps and made smaller hearts. Taking my hearts, this 5 year old tucked some in an envelope. She handed me one of those envelopes for Great Grandpa. I was instructed to take it outside and ask God to deliver it to our loved one. Isn’t that precious? She still has that personal connection with her Great Grandpa and wants him to have some mail.
Oh, if we adults would have that much simplicity in life. Somehow, life’s challenges harden our hearts to this simple act of love. Now, I’m not suggesting that we take mail outside and ask God to deliver it into heaven, but our love and creativity can express so much to the ones here on earth. Just something to ponder this week.
Happy summer!
Gail loves the Lord most of all. She delights in her calling to be a wife to Ed Malick and a mother to seven children ages 26 to 42 and grandmother of nineteen. Ed is sixth generation on the homestead family farm in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.
Seeds of Hope
“Be patient! God’s not finished with me yet!”
Many of us use those words as an excuse every time we make a mess of things. While I’m not sure it ever worked for that reason, it was comforting until reality set in.
There are days when God seems to be shaking us by the nape of our necks to get our attention. There are other days when His grace grants one blessing after another.
It cannot be denied, however, that we are all a “work in progress” as long as we are alive. The question we must ask ourselves is: What is progress, and how will we know when God is finished with us?
If the “godly look forward to a reward,” what happens when we falter, fail or fall?
Are we doomed? Is godliness or righteousness ever attainable in this life? Or, is it something we are to struggle with and strive for as long as we live?
In this instance, “look forward” is the outcome of those who have “righteousness” or “godliness” as a goal.
It is what God’s children focus their heads, hearts and hands on.
It is not something that “happens” as a byproduct of life. Righteous living is a core value at the center of all that believers do. Unrighteousness, which is the opposite, must be avoided at all costs!
“The wicked can expect only God’s wrath.”
Now, that should get everyone’s attention.
Wrath, God’s wrath, is His overflowing anger against the unrighteous. God’s wrath can be compared to a fire that is slowly growing, and, at the moment in time, will be all consuming.
This verse should remind us that the unrighteous face God’s impending judgment and eventual wrath. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the time to repent!
Prayer: May we understand, Father, that our desires determine our destiny. May righteousness rule in our hearts, be the center of our heart and the work of our hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today’s Scripture: “The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.”
Proverbs 11:23
This article originally appeared on Farmers Advance: Simple acts of love make a big difference
Reporting by Gail Malick / Farmers Advance
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
