“Place your trust in the Eternal; rely on Him completely; never depend upon your own ideas and inventions. ⁶ Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish, and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead.”  Proverbs 3:5-6 The Voice 

Part of my normal weekly schedule includes watching my grandkids. I watch all my grandchildren; but my oldest son works from home, so it’s not as critical to always be there. So, I primarily watch my younger son’s family because they both are essential workers. My son is an EMT and my daughter-in-law is an elementary teacher, and from the moment my first grandchild was born I’ve agreed to be their primary care giver.

They rely on me to be available to the schedule and on time, and most of the time everything works according to plan. But there are days, like this past Monday. I was on time leaving the house at 6:00 am to be in Lake Forest by 7:00 am. I got in my car and saw I had forgotten to fill my tank, ok fine, so I head to the gas station. On my way there, my tire light indicator came on… so now I need to put air in my front left tire, I’m beginning to get irritated with myself for not paying attention to the needs of my car. As I’m putting gas in my tank I see why my tire needs air… a bright shiny nail is looking straight at me with a smirk. I need to share with you, that in my family I am known for being a magnet for all the nails in the street, they seem to find their way into my tires on a regular basis.  So, I pull up to the air machine thinking I can put air in my tire, get to Lake Forest, and then call AAA. The air machine is out of order… and now my battery indicator light has come on!! WHAT IS GOING ON!! I’m not a happy camper at this point!

So, many phone calls later and with the help of my husband, who comes home from work to take my car into the shop, my son who is working from home so I could borrow his car, the Principal who filled in at the classroom until my daughter-in-law could get there, and my daughter-in-law’s patience with all that’s going on.

But at the end of the day, my perspective had changed dramatically, and I see God’s hand in all the little mishaps of my day just to keep me safe.  When all said and done we find out that my battery light came on because my alternator was shot and it could have very easily had caused my car to suddenly stop while on the freeway and possibly in an accident. The smirky little nail in my tire and the air machine not working kept me grounded close to home and off the freeway. As frustrated, irritated and exhausted from my morning all that changed and became a sense of gratitude to God for seeing and being in my little world.

Very often we cannot or do not want to see the bigger picture when plans go awry, but when we invite God into our daily lives, even to the smallest degree, I believe with every thread of my being that God is there, watching, loving and caring for us in ways we do not realize. So, may we always be reminded to live a life of gratitude and love in all our ways of daily life.

Caring and loving God, thank you for your unending love and provision in our lives. When we cannot see beyond our own knowledge may we always look to you and trust that you are there. Surround us in these days, guide our steps, guide our words and actions to be in tune with your grace and love. In Christs’ name we pray. Amen.

Brenda

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.     1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

I hope you will take the time to read the New International Version of this passage that is sometimes referred to as the “Love” chapter.  Its used at weddings and funerals and is one of the most profound passages of scripture in the bible. 

My focus for today is the final portion. As we reflect on 2020 and move swiftly into 2021 this is a time when we could lament all that has happened, but we won’t. I don’t need to remind you of all the loss that has taken place in 2020. It is pretty obvious. What I’d like you to ponder is what remains.

Yes, there have been challenges and there will be more to come. The year has started with violence in the U.S. Capital and Covid 19 continues to rage on throughout the country, but in spite of it all we still have much to be thankful for.

The passage of scripture  indicates that these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love.  Biblical scholars have mentioned that these three are placed in different order depending on the circumstances. The Church at Thessalonica struggled with hope, so the order was Faith, Love and Hope. The Church at Corinth had many issues and the members lacked love for one another, so the order was Faith, Hope and Love. Lord knows we need Love in these difficult times. My friends the greatest of these is Love.

James Calhoun

(Synopsis of a sermon by Dr. Frank A. Thomas, Professor of Preaching at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana)

What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. No not just for some, but for everyone.

Lord, we don’t need another mountain

There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. There are oceans and rivers enough to cross. Enough to last ’til the end of time.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.  What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  No, not just for some, but for everyone.