Greetings! I have missed you my friends. I hope your new year has started well. Ours has started out a bit rough, but God has amazing plans and sometimes they require us to go through the valley for a bit.
We are however, being careful to not stop off at the "pits of despair" , but trudge on with God leading the way. (Did you catch that Princess Bride fans?;) I am sorry I could not resist.
Anyways, I was making some jam the other day and it reminded me of my very first post. It's a good reminder in hard times and in great times. God's love never fails and never runs out on us.
I hope this encourages you today.
Mmmm...mmm...mmmmm
Finger
licking good.
Have you
ever had this moment?
I was
watching my son drink his hot cocoa and trying very hard to not giggle and call
attention to him, but he was so intent. We were having a special treat and had
ordered some yummy peppermint hot cocoas at a coffee shop.
He was
definitely having a "good to the last drop" moment...
And we can add "finger licking
good" to it as well.
He had drained every drop from his cup, but upon noticing
the reticent creamy foam and peppermint pieces stuck to the edges of the inside
of his cup, he proceeded to stick his finger into the cup gliding it around and
then licking the delicious remnants from it.
He was one sticky happy mess. (I mean it... There was a whole lot of mess stuck to his happy face.)
Now, mind you, this is
not proper behavior at home or in public, but my goodness he was so intent. I just smiled
and watched him enjoy his moment of cocoa glee.
It's good to have those moments
as a parent.
Today just a
few days later, I found myself scraping the bottom of a pan with great fervor. I
had made a batch of four berry jam and it tasted so good that it was
frustrating me when so much was still stuck to the sides of the pan. I am telling you friends, I was a woman on a mission.
I did not
want one bit to go to waste.
And then
it hit me.
How would
my relationship with the Lord be different if each day I approached Him like
the peppermint cocoa or this batch of four berry jam?
I know my
Lord is the most wonderful person in my life. His love is sweet. He is my only
source of strength and life with Him has been the best I could have ever imagined.
Before Him my
life was full of empty pursuits. Depression, loneliness, and disappointments
plagued me.
It was empty.
No matter what I tried I could never fill it or keep
it full of joy or peace.
Now I am
full. My life is full. “He completes me.” Yes, I just used the cheesy Jerry
McGuire movie quote, but it’s true.
Knowing
all of this. Why is it that I have times in my life where I do not pursue Him
with the same fervor, of “Good to the last drop” ?
Why am I not scraping each day for every extra moments of praise or prayer time like I did with that jam pan?
Or digging into my Bible to glean every new morsel from
the Lord that I can like my son did with his cup of hot cocoa?
You see the deeper I dig into His word and the further I experience and learn about who He is, I find Him all the more sweet. He is absolutely amazing!
More full of depth, more
satisfying, and never ending in His supply to my needs.
Just a
quick read of Psalm 103 and we all should be in awe of everything that He does and is to us.
Would you take some time today friends and read Psalm 103?
Grab some paper and a pen and write down every action He takes for us and the different character traits listed about Him.
Won't you taste and see that He truly is "Good to the last drop"?
The best part is... His supply of love, power, and grace for us never
runs out.
By the way...Love this song! Give it a play while you read Psalm 103.
And if you feel led, share in the comments the character trait or action that you see God working in your life right now.
Let's encourage each other friends.
God Bless
