Every Good and Perfect Gift in Your Life
“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 NIV
Nightfall welcomes a resplendent moon, and I admire it from the window.
The rise and fall of this golden moon, the ebb and flow of the tide, the subtle shift from springtime to summer—they all tend to catch me off-guard.
And so, with eager expectation, when morning dawns and the moon settles beyond the horizon, I sit with our children in the living room.
I hold the book we read every morning, and I take the time to memorize the moment: the way Aiden snuggles up to me and wraps his arms around me; the way Caleb’s eyes dance as he tells me about his newest Minecraft creation; and sleepy Bekah’s smile as she huddles under the blanket and rubs the weariness from her eyes.
This moment.
I will memorize this moment.
Because seasons change too fast.
The ebb and flow doesn’t wait for distracted mothers to slow down.
We make the most of the time we have when we anchor ourselves by being fully awake and fully present in the ordinary moments.
Every Good and Perfect Gift
Our family won’t drive across the country and gaze at any snow-capped mountains this week.
We probably won’t set our eyes on any national monuments or visit anywhere we haven’t already been a hundred times.
Nevertheless, we can still stand in awe.
We can stand in awe of the gift of another day—even if this day is far from perfect and even if it’s filled with bickering, boredom, and ordinariness.
We can savor what we have while we have it, even if supper comes out burned and the little one splatters his applesauce on every surface of the kitchen again.
God’s gifts are woven into our ordinary moments, and he is always inviting us to slow down and savor those gifts.
I think about this as I read to the kids and encourage them to find a few reasons to give thanks. I’m surprised, as always, by the gifts they name: wrestling with Daddy, ice cream cones on the deck last night, playing with the dogs in the yard, and yesterday’s trip to the library.
When our time for reading and counting gifts draws to a close, I realize that I feel more joyful, as if the exercise in giving thanks has healed something within me.
Practice Giving Thanks
Perhaps this exercise would be helpful for you, too.
Maybe you’re in the middle of an especially challenging season, and you’ve put your hope in making it to the other side. There’s nothing wrong with this kind of hope. However, when our only hope is based on circumstances, hope is bound to let us down.
Immanuel, God with us, wants to be our Living Hope. He is with us in every storm and every trial. When we learn to put our hope in him, our hope is fixed on an anchor that cannot change or shift with circumstances.
His presence with us is always the greatest gift.
Furthermore, he is always surrounding us with his gifts. Sadly, it’s easy to miss the gifts if we’re not watching for them.
Every Good and Perfect Gift in Your Ordinary Life
This week, I’m thanking God for the noise that fills our home as the school year ends and the children return home,
the way the moon hangs overhead on cool summer nights,
the chatter of songbirds at daybreak,
barefoot afternoons in creek bottoms,
mornings with hot cocoa and cuddles,
and wildflower bouquets on the kitchen table.
I’m also making a point to memorize these moments:
enjoying pizza on the deck,
skipping stones across the reservoir,
catching newts in swampy bogs,
reading story books at the library,
and searching for toads in the valley.
None of it is extraordinary. And yet, all of it is extraordinary.
Perhaps you need this reminder to watch for his gifts, too. They are surrounding you, even now. God is inviting you to start counting. Everything good in your life comes from the Lord. I invite you to take a moment to savor his goodness right now. It might just change the trajectory of your day.
Everything good in your life comes from the Lord. I invite you to take a moment to savor his goodness right now. #GodsGifts #savor #gratitude Share on XA Free Online Devotional to Help You Connect With God
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