Every Good and Perfect Gift


 

One of the houses I always notice on my walks is a lovely yellow house with dark green trim. It reminds me of the first house I owned. Though this one is brick and larger and much nicer, it sports the same color scheme as that little frame house long ago. Passing by reminds me of the time a friend and I painted my house. And the time, because I couldn’t afford a professional, we cut down a huge tree next to the patio. All these years later, I can’t imagine that we actually climbed high with chain saws and ropes. Even more amazing is the fact that we didn’t send chunks of tree through the roof or get injured doing something incredibly dangerous.
As the leaves began to change color this Fall, something else caught my eye about this house. The tree in front is turning yellow, and a yellow very close the color of the house. I wonder how the owners arranged to have their tree be color coordinated with their home this year. It is awesome! I hope they notice. I hope they take pictures. It would be a shame to miss such a serendipity.
Sometimes it is the little things that bring a smile or a sense of wonder to our life. The problem seems to be that we focus all our energy on the big things which may or may not come to pass. Not that we shouldn’t be planning and focused on the big things, but if we are constantly missing the little joys around us, we need to take a breath. It is the small and random gifts that pass through our life that make life a joy between the big things. At times, it is the small and random gifts that get us through the big things.
We read these words in scripture, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Every gift. Not just the big things. Every gift. The color of changing leaves. A smile. A pleasant memory. A friend. A prayer. Grace extended and grace received. A sunset. Music. All around us these good and perfect gifts come from God. What a shame to miss them.
Peace.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God is at Work

Image
In the early morning I was struck with this image. It seems to have it all. Green leaves. Red leaves. Clouds. Blue sky. The cross high and lifted up to the sky. It seemed to me that there was the stuff of several good photos in this one place and at one time. So I took the picture. Life is like that more often than not, isn't it? Good and bad. Happy and sad. Calm and chaos. Peace and turmoil. The season of Advent and the celebration of Christmas acknowledges this reality. The people of old resigned to their fate, yet hoping in the future. John the Baptist bringing the good news that the time had come, yet thundering away at one and all. Mary afraid, yet faithful. A baby is born that changes everything, yet the world remains still weary and violent. But, in the midst of all this, in the midst of the whiplash of everyday life, God is at work. God is present. God is calling. In all of it. In every bit of it. Through it all, God is with us. During these holidays, when joy can be mixed ...
Read more

Home

Image
  I came across this interesting tree the other morning. I was immediately transported back to my childhood and one of my favorite boyhood books, “My Side of the Mountain”. It was about a boy who went off by himself to live in the woods and to find everything he needed provided by nature. I don’t recall how many times I read that book in my elementary school years, but it was plenty. As I recall, he made his home in a tree that had a natural door, much like this one. I dreamed of following in his footsteps and doing the same in the woods behind my house. I never did. Home comes in all kinds of versions. Opulent mansions. Simple cabins. Modest middle-sized houses. Some people have the amazing ability to create home even when they are without a physical home. There are heroes who keep family together through tough transitions and the hardest of times. They commit to staying connected. They love one another. They are accountable to each other as they lift up the heart of what it means...
Read more

Loving Embrace by Barry Hughes

Image
One of the joys of walking each day is passing my neighbors. I may not know their names, but I feel I know many of them from our shared walks. I have names for them in my head, based on the dogs they walk or at what place on my route I usually pass them each day. I am amazed at how many people seem to be creatures of habit, like myself, walking the same course at the same time every day. I must admit that I do wonder, from time to time, what name they have given me as they pass me every day. On occasion, I see people who are new to me. On this morning I came upon the scene of a woman leaving a house for her walk. Suddenly, two small boys rushed out, barefoot and dressed in pajamas, urging her to wait. She stopped and turned, and with beatific smile embraced both boys and shared a few joyful moments with each. It was a touching and heartwarming sight. I imagined that the woman is grandmother to the boys. She is here visiting and these boys awoke as she walked out the door. They did not ...
Read more