The Joy Dare: Blessings Seven to Twelve

   "3 lines you overheard that were graces"


   I am cheating a little with this, as these weren't overheard but were lines said to or read by me.


#0007 "So you mean I only have to just be myself?" - a five-year-old in my classroom today realising for the first time that he is valuable just the way he is.


#0008 "I want to encourage you to do things God's way, because it always works out so much better." - a sweet lady who I work with blessing me through a conversation we struck up over lunch.


#0009 "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - a president's wife who always inspires me with her grace and courage.




   "one gift old, new & blue"


#0010 I am grateful for the beautiful classic literature that lives on my bookshelves and in my heart. The volumes may be new, but the old words still fill me with wonder with every page I turn.

#0011 I am grateful for my newest scar - a mark from where I cut my leg on a Sabbath table as I carried it out of the theatre late one Saturday night. The cut hurt but the scar reminds me of how blessed I was to be a part of Fiddler on the Roof.

#0012 I am grateful for my bluebird bracelet. I received it as an infant, and each time I clasp it around my wrist, it reminds me that even as an infant I defied death to be brought into the fullness of life given by the Father, and I give thanks for the air in my lungs.

   A new scripture that enriched my soul today:

"Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:16-17, HCSB, emphasis mine)

   Lord Messiah, as I count my blessings daily I feel the gratitude growing in my heart. Thank You for the people You give to encourage me and enrich my life through their sweet words. Thank You for the blessing of individuality, and for allowing a child to realise its beauty. Thank you for the scars on my body and on my heart that remind me of experiences, friends, and lessons learned. Thank you for the eleven thousand litres of air I inhale every day, and for providing the earth with air daily to the volume of whatever seven billion times eleven thousand is. May Your Name be magnified as my soul reflects Your grace.