The sun has been out this week and there is something so blissful about a warm sunny day. In the midst of this lovely summer season, there have been difficult stories like dealing with war, losing loved ones, and sicknesses. I ask God a lot, “How much longer does all of this have to go on?” And by a lot, I mean several times a day. It just seems like there are so many sad things happening all the time, everywhere. I am amazed by God’s patience with this world because I don’t have a lot of it when I hear about all this stuff. Even though this world appears to be right full of junk, there is still God. His beauty and generous gifts are everywhere.
I was staring at the hummingbirds yesterday and I stood in wonder of His extraordinary creations. Some of these birds fly all the way from Mexico just to eat at one of my hummingbird feeders and that is just fascinating to me. For me, driving all the way to our nearest city, which is just under two hours, can be such a chore and I have a difficult time staying awake. God made this little bird that can fly over 2000 miles to Maine in a matter of several days just to slurp on my sugar water and that’s pretty cool.
Everything He creates is infused with such amazing detail that it often blows my mind. He draws every speck of color on the blossoming trees and flowers. He strategically places every hair in beautiful perfection on my cats to make them look stunning. He constructs each of us so meticulously that no two are alike. God loves to create all the marvelous things on Earth and I bet He has a lot of fun doing it too. He takes joy in His creations and ultimately, His glory is on full display for all of us to see. We can get so busy that we don’t notice Him in our surroundings. I give thanks for the smile on my daughter’s face, for the unique relaxing sound of a cat purring, for the delicious scent of a grilled steak, for when I hear my dad perfectly play the piano and so much more.
I give thanks.
For the big things down to the minuscule things… I give thanks that He even thinks about blessing me. Each of us have been tremendously blessed by God because He gave us Jesus. Plus, in the end, we get to be with Him forever and ever. We can’t even fully imagine how Heaven will look, feel, smell, taste or sound like!! This earth can’t even compare to what is waiting for us on the other side of life. Even if Heaven was solely Jesus and nothing else I would be ecstatic, but I believe God has amazing forever plans for His believers. I believe our souls will be enraptured by what He has built for us. He has a new life already planned out for us and therefore leaving this world doesn’t scare me in the least bit.
While we are still here in this world, we have to get out there and minister to those who don’t know Him! Ministry takes a lot of work, patience, and love. It takes a small army to run a church or a ministry of any kind. Often, it feels like the army is retreating, and because of this I pray that God will spur the hearts of His people to get back into the fray. Serve God with a pure heart and His presence will never leave you. Even though we could never repay God for the enormous amount of blessings He has gifted us, we can serve Him and be thankful, right? These words are from Jesus – “If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26
I hope all of you get to enjoy this summer especially after last year. God bless you and remember to smile because He loves you more.
Radiantly Brave 