CELEBRATING SPECIAL DAYS

A couple of days ago was our grandson’s first birthday but as far as I know there was no celebration with cake, no special one-year candle with flame to watch him blow out, no tiny fingers to dig into the frosting, and no picture-taking of this momentous event. I wonder if anyone in his immediate family was even aware of his one-year-old birthday, and were it not for my special reminder calendar, it probably would have slipped past my notice, yet it was a very special day that should never be forgotten, the anniversary of the day one year ago when he chose to become God’s Child.
How is it that we human beings make remembering the day of our physical birth one of such importance and yet few have even an inkling of the date we enter God’s Family? A partial answer may be that we have parents and medical personnel who dutifully record the physical details of our births. When we become Christians we are individually old enough to answer the question, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” and thus, we should be able to record our own statistics; yet, it seems we seldom do. However, if we know the date, we seldom follow through with a yearly outward celebration. Is this because we feel it is a matter of a more personal nature, or just as we let the world know we rejoice in the fact we were physically born and are celebrating however many years of life, should we not let our countenance show our rejoicing over the number of anniversaries accrued since the original celebration of our spiritual birth?
Maybe it’s time to consider having a special cake with candles including flames to blow out, and frosting to stick our fingers in, and yearly celebration picture-taking remembrances of our Real Birthday, as a renewal reminder of the commitment we made whether it was one year or fifty years ago.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God…”
I John 3:1a (NASB)
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 2-20-2010

TREASURES IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

How many times have you done what you perceived a kindness for another that turned into a totally unexpected blessing in your own life? A recent experience of a few days ago brought that thought to my mind and I’d like to share it with you.
Because of the happy welcome we received at Christmas, our church group was invited to return to a local care facility to sing again, to and with the residents on Valentine’s Day. This time the songs chosen centered on love, particularly the love of God for each individual. It was delightful to observe the residents as they not only recognized the songs but also how many of them joined in and sang the old story along with us.
Residents were being brought in before and during the songfest and right after arriving in the dining room where we were gathered, a long-legged man in a wheelchair decided he was ready to leave, so placed his feet over the footrest of his chair and paddled his way towards the doorway. A woman resident who had come in with the assistance of a walker, left her seat and promptly took off after him, grabbed the handlebars of his chair, and quickly back-walked him (and herself) to the area he was supposed to be. He seemed acquiescent and malleable as could be about the whole thing and since the woman didn't bring harm to herself by her hurrying walk without her walker, the whole scene tickled my funny bone! I managed to control my mirth but felt this unexpected pleasure was truly a gift from God.
Though none have topped that, there have been other experiences in the past couple of weeks that, as I look back I see as God’s gifts to me as well. One very special one was a hug from a 5-year-old girl who I later learned was a foster child who had been in 6 foster homes in 7 months prior to the most recent one where she now had been for 3 months. Maybe she saw that I needed a hug and here I thought she was looking for one! On a different day while at the post office, I was able to verbally thank a military member for his service to our country. His response surprised me as he reached to shake my hand, while saying, “Thank you.” Obviously he wasn’t used to being approached by a grandmother-type person letting him know he was appreciated and he appreciated that. Ooh...it felt good to be in my shoes that day and judging by his response, he might have said, “Likewise!”
I thought I was doing these things because God wanted me to be His ambassador where I am, yet He chose to use these times as opportunities to turn my gifts back into treasures for me. What a God we serve!
"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Luke 6:38 NASB
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 2-16-2010