Gift… My younger son has always been great at suggesting gifts and thinking of gifts for people. He pays attention in ways that amaze me. I am even more amazed when I think about God as a gift giver. He is the creator and over all, but He loves to give gifts, and even more than my son’s keen ability is God’s to give good gifts. He sees us and gives us good and perfect gifts. I was thinking about how I want to notice and see all the gifts around me. I do not want to miss them.
Many times I walk right by gifts left for me from God. That is such a sad thought to me. Sometimes they are so personal that no one else could know to give me such a gift. Practicing gratitude and numbering the gifts has been a discipline I have practiced on and off over the years since my first reading of Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts to help me be more aware of God’s good gifts. Just seeing the number humbles me, that the God of the universe loves me that much and more.
Recently, I read through the devotional Beholding and Becoming By Ruth Simons Chou and have been reminded of how intentional I need to be about what I am beholding. Sometimes I get distracted by everything around me and forget to behold that which is good, lovely, pure… that which are the gifts all around me. The Word says that all of creation declares His glory. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above. So I have been practicing looking again for the beauty all around me, even in the hard spaces. Even as I stop to look and listen, I am overwhelmed with a sense of how much I am loved. As I receive the gifts, it allows me to walk in love as the beloved and as one truly loved by the giver of all good things. My vision expands, my heart settles, and I am able to pour love out to others and share God’s good gifts with them even as I savor them for myself.
* I am joining Five Minute Fridays in a 31 day Writing Challenge. Each day I will be writing on a different word prompt for at least 5 minutes for the month of October.
**Check out 2018’s 31 Day Writing Challenge https://inkblotlife.com/category/write-31-days-2018/
*** Review of Beholding and Becoming by Ruth Simons Chou https://inkblotlife.com/2019/09/10/beholding-and-becoming-the-art-of-everyday-worship-book-review/
****Beauty that I have been capturing on my walks and drives I have been sharing on my Instagram account at inkblotlife.com_peggy
Inkblot Life 
Once again Peggy, beautiful. Eloquent with such a flow to your words and heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kindness and encouragement.
LikeLike