We celebrated in June…for a lot of reasons! Many birthdays and not just a few weddings! And with the celebrations have come so much joy and laughter.
With the birthdays, it wasn’t necessarily in the gifts given and received; though I loved giving and they loved receiving. Rather, it was the anticipation, the memories recalled, the new memories made of time together enjoying one another, and the recollection of God’s faithfulness in the past year and looking forward to His faithfulness, regardless of circumstances, in the year ahead.
And we celebrated many marriages lately with dear friends who were brought together with the ones with whom they have now covenanted and pledged to live out their lives! They were times of reunions, laughter, tears, rejoicing, and, again, the focus on the faithfulness of God leading to the moment and the promise of His faithfulness in the days ahead.
Happiness, how we long for it! Delight, how we yearn for it! The various “delights” of life invade our many thoughts and energies and those given, ordained, and blessed by the hand of our Creator are very good.
These days have been some of those “big moments” of life; some might even call them defining moments and the happiness is palpable!
But oh the joy when we find our delight not just in the big moments of life but in the every day, the ordinary. How precious when we find wonder in the here and now even as we may await another big event! How freeing to bask in the pleasure of God’s everyday graces!
Ann Kiemel’s words come to mind when I think about celebrating the ordinary days which make up life as we know it and she has long energized me to think in the same way:
“And every day my mom would say, ‘Don’t you kids know, that life is made up of ordinary days when there is no one to pat you on the back? When there is no one to praise you? When there is no one to honor you? When there is no one to see how brave and noble you are? Almost all of life is made of these ordinary days. And it is how you live your ordinary days that determines whether or not you have big moments. Get out there and make something of your ordinary days.’”
I pray I never miss what God is doing and what He wants me to do with my ordinary days!
And I know you’ve made the lame to walk
And caused the blind to see
But what You do with my everyday is amazing! (Everyday Miracles – Sara Groves)
(To
Joy in My Journey 