willingness

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 (10:00 a.m.)

Generous Father God,

You have HEAPED the fruit of Your Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23a) on me this day. We have the freedom and opportunity to fully enjoy unexpected time with our toddling grandson. Thank You Father.

Thank You for such a willingness of all involved yesterday in allowing him to accompany us home. How we pray for his oh-so-sick daddy, Lord. There is SO very much going on in their household right now. Be intricately involved with every single detail of their lives we ask, Blessed Father. A much anticipated wedding, the upcoming holidays, a prospective move back into a fire damaged and newly remodeled home. Anyone of these is added stress in and of itself. All three in one week? Beyond description!

But here I am. Sixty miles away from all the action. Enjoying every delightful moment with this 14-month old little boy and his much loved Papa.

Thank You Father. Thank You for the love You have provided us through the years to get us to this place. Thank You for toys that span generations and continue to spark squeals of joy from being played with. Father, You are so very generous. You give to us so freely.

I heard a phrase this morning. “It's not in the gathering, but in the scattering.” I confess I don't remember what it was referencing, but I took it to mean all the stuff (emotional, as well as physical) we hold onto. Thank You Father for being the generous God You are. Thank You for meeting our every need “far beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

This section of Scripture is yet another blessing to my soul. At this particular minute it seems as though it were written specifically for me. Generous Father God, thank You!

Below the title The Greatness of God's Love I read, “that out of His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you the mighty inner strengthening of His Holy Spirit” (v.16). Then Paul continued, still as if directly to me, “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God Himself” (vs.17-19). THIS is my reality right now!

This is exactly the joy I am experiencing. Your peace that TRULY “passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). All because You are so infinitely generous! You make promises that You keep. And I am grateful.

Thank You Father. Thank You for the privilege of having the Holy Spirit control our lives. Producing “this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a).

Today, I once again feel as I expect Mary did in Luke 2:19 when she “quietly treasured these things in her heart and often thought about them.” There are reminders abounding of our own children and their youthful days of playfulness and the joy I gleaned from those years of 'quietly treasuring those things in my heart and often thinking about them.'

Generous Father, I absolutely cannot thank You enough for this bonus opportunity. Let us use it to Your fullest. Thank You. We love You. Amen.

(599 words ~ 11:23 a.m.)