Simplicity - Multitude Monday

It's easy to find beauty in the obvious - a sunrise, a rainbow, a child's smile, the smell of freshly cut flowers.  I am learning though that beauty is even more simple than the obvious.  I continue to look, to seek out beauty, yet it's always there, right in front of my eyes.

In simplicity, I continue to count:

51.  My first born son, who turns 17 today.  He has a heart after God and I am forever grateful that God chose me to be his momma!

52.  Car insurance.  Someone stole a very expensive part off of our car.  We are thankful that our deductible is minimal.

53.  Foot washing.  We had a foot washing service in the Children's Equipping Center yesterday.  All but four of the kids participated.  It was touching and powerful to witness the children serving one another in this way.

54.  Vacuums.  I cannot imagine having to get on my hands and knees and pick up all the little fragments that the kiddos leave behind.

55.  Eye makeup remover.  Whoever created this stuff was a genius.

56.  Toothpaste.  What on earth did people use before this was invented?

57.  Mexican food.  Need I say more?  I cooked a lot of Mexican food this week at my son's request for his birthday.  I forgot that I was dieting.  Oops!  I will be back on track tomorrow.

58.  Fuzzy socks.  My feet are about the only part of me that get cold.  Love the fuzzy slipper socks!

59.  Candles.  We had a power outage a few nights ago.  Once we found the candles, it was nice.

60.  Another borrowed car.  I am so thankful for those who have loaned us their cars while we fix our other ones.

What are you thankful for today?  Link up at A Holy Experience.

Glimpses of Beauty - Multitude Mondays

Glimpse:  A momentary or partial view.

Beauty does not always come to us in it's complete state.  Sometimes it comes in glimpses.  It's only when we continue to glimpse in the direction of what we can already see that beauty is revealed in it's fullness.  I am reminded of this verse:

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT)

The beauty of Christ, and all that He offers to us, is seen through our imperfect eyes.  We simply will not always see it with our natural eyes.  It takes spiritual eyes to see, knowledge and understanding.  This week I have been asking God to open my eyes to truly see this beauty that surrounds me.  My eyes see in part, incompletely.  Yet I keep looking.

It's been a busy week for me.  But I have purposed in my heart to catch glimpses.  Even while running in different directions, His beauty is still there.  And when I catch those glimpses, they are planting seeds in my heart.  And as I am faithful to cultivate that which I can already see, the beauty is soon revealed for what it truly is. 

In glimpses, I continue counting:

36.  My Monday days off so that I can volunteer with Trade As One to help fight the cause of Human Trafficking.

37. The gift of multi-tasking.  I have become quite good at it. 

38.  My Willow Store dryer balls that I won on Rachel's blog.  Anything that cuts down my laundry time is a gift!

39.  The smell of fresh air after the rain.

40.  Glimpses of spring sprouting up in my front yard. 

41.  Negative Strep tests for both my son and I last week.

42.  Glimpses of heaven.  Thank you Corey Russell for giving me a greater glimpse into the throne room this weekend.

43.  A warm cup of tea on a cold day.

44.  A full nights sleep without children waking up.

45.  The laughter of my children in between bites of breakfast, although we might be late for school.

46.  A glimpse of the sun peeking through stormy clouds.  God brings hope.

47.  My crock pot.  Makes cooking easy.

48.  A glimpse of the dove that has made her nest in our front yard.  Spring is coming.

49.  My housekeeping husband.  When I fall behind, he gets the job done.

50.  My tender heart before the Lord today.  May it never grow stale or cold.

What are you thankful for today? Link up with us at A Holy Experience or leave me a comment letting me know.

Counting My Gifts

A few weeks ago, I received Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, in the mail. It is changing my life.  I am realizing that I am not truly living each day to the fullest.  Every day is a new gift to me from the Lord, and each day is full of promise; yet in the mundaneness that has become my life, I forget to stop and notice how abundantly blessed I am.  The most extraordinary gifts lie in the ordinary.  They lie in the simplicity of life.  They lie, buried beneath loads of unfinished laundry.  They are in the not all put together parts of my life.  I am surrounded by them.  And yet, they often go unnoticed. 

I have been blessed and encouraged by reading the lists that others are making of their 1,000 gifts of love and grace.  I've been afraid to take the dare, to live life fully right where I am.  My life is not perfect.  It can be messy.  I get mad at my kids.  I can't keep my house clean.  Yet, even on those days, there are gifts waiting to be revealed.  I want to learn to slow down so that I can see what God has so graciously put right in front of me.  Yet, They will only be found if my eyes are wide open to receive them.

So, here I am, beginning the journey of writing down my 1,000 gifts of love and grace, those that God has already blessed me with.  My prayer is that the Lord would open my eyes that I might see them.

My gifts today:

1. The deep sighs of my children as they lie sleeping.
2. The quietness of the night. It's so peaceful when it's just me and Him.
3. The truck my husband was loaned this week, for as long as he needs it.
4. Healthy children.
5. The smell of a freshly washed load of laundry.
6. A husband who constantly calls out the gold in me.
7. My friends who run along side of me, and often fall behind so they can push me.
8. The hum of my computer.  It works. And I am thankful.
9. Dinners at my parents and for money saved.
10. That in my lack, He is sufficient.

It's not too late for you to begin your journey of writing down your 1,000 gifts.  Do you dare to allow God to open your eyes to the beauty that surrounds you?