I know it isn’t even close to Thanksgiving yet. But my heart, despite its see-saw of emotions about moving, is thankful. I wanted to take a moment to encourage you today. I know it’s a busy day…I am two steps behind, too! Let’s just take a breather together…
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if you have any grievance against another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body we are called to pursue peace.
And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
~Colossians 3:14-16
I LOVE those verses today. They speak to me on so many levels. First off, they remind me to be filled with the traits that make me beautiful in God’s eyes. They remind me of how we should behave, and live our lives so that others know something is different with us, and see Jesus in our lives. They remind me to let go of petty things. And they remind me to be thankful. They remind me to sit at the throne of God, as if I were a little girl sitting at the foot of daddy’s La-Z-Boy, and to praise. To come to Him singing, with gratitude in my heart.
Remember that photo above? Here it is again just in case:
This summer, a block down the street from me, my neighbor’s house caught fire and burnt entirely to the ground. They barely escaped with their lives, let alone any earthly possessions. The pile of rubble remains and every time I walk by it, I pause, to pray and reflect. My eyes scan and I pick out pieces of their lives…a red tennis shoe, a tea kettle, books, flannel shirts. Useless now.
And the burnt leaves of the trees are still scattered along my own yard, mingled with the brightly colored foliage too. Here I am, packing up all of my pretty things to move, contemplating the worth of my earthly possessions, weighing them in my head with the things God tells us to cultivate and to seek.
I am thankful, ever so grateful, for the blessings God has given me to enjoy on this earth. I am thankful that He blessed me with a heart that leaps up in excitement and joy over beauty.
But I remember, too, that those things are temporary.
Do not invest your heart in things of this world, my loves. Fires, moths, rust, and floods destroy oh so easily. What you keep in your heart is eternal.
Seek to fill your heart with kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, patience, peace, love, and songs of praise and gratitude.
I needed this reminder today Natalie! Thanks so much for breathing God's blessings into my sometimes chaotic life!
Oh, Jess, it means so much to me that you would take the time to read this and comment! I'm so glad God could speak to your heart through these words. The just came to me over lunch yesterday.