Song Child

Have I mentioned my melancholy side? Doing battle against discouragement is a daily endeavor. My main mode of defense is wielding the Word, but lately the Lord has been giving me an added weapon in this war: the sound of a two-year-old singing His praises. Upon waking, I often hear "My God is so big, so great and so mighty, there's nothing my God can not do." And, just before going to bed at night, I'm encouraged by rigorous renditions of "This Little Light of Mine" and "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands." Every day her storehouse of songs continues to grow, and as it does, spontaneous bursts of beautiful melody spring from her tongue. Maybe, it's not so spontaneous, but comes at the prompting of the Lord who knows that every True Word spoken, in whatever method He may choose, builds us up in our most holy faith.

Shadow Snow

In the shadow of a great log, the snow still lingered. The warm afternoon sun had all but melted the rest away. I stood at my window and stared at it, thinking of how my own heart so often resembles the remnants of these icy mounds. Staying in dark places, away from God's Word and God's people, I stay cold toward the things of the Lord. But, if I bring myself into the Light, into His warmth, my heart begins to thaw. After missing a few Sundays at church, I didn't realize how I had quietly slipped into the coolness of the shadows. But, as the music began, and I lifted my voice with my brothers and sisters, as the Word was read, as the pastor began to preach from Hosea, I sensed the snow melting; the warm afternoon sun had reached my soul.

Appliance Time

Sizzling bacon served up in six minutes. Ah, the microwave. Dazzling dishes ready to reuse in just under an hour. Ah, the dishwasher. Clean and comfy clothes washed and dried in only two hours' time. Ah, the washer and dryer. It is a rare day that I don't recognize with rejoicing the miracle of modern appliances. In many ways, they make my life much simpler than the moms of the past who did all these things by hand. But, so often, we use our new found free time to make life more complicated, filling the hours with a to-do list too long with temporal things. Lord, help us to make the most of the minutes we've gleaned from these great gadgets, focusing on eternal purposes, redeeming the time for You.