Posts filed under ‘Devotional Thought’
Simple Things
This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for simple things. We tend to make life too complicated sometimes.
For example…We bought our house in Levelland in June. Since day one we’ve had a really slow running drain in the bathtub. I’ve poured countless gallons of Drano and Liquid Plumber down that drain. We have waited up to an hour after one shower for the tub to drain. I’ve consulted with plumbers and other “handy” guys on how to deal with this issue. On Monday the drain stopped completely. I used a “snake” to auger the pipes. I bought a miniature snake to clear hair and other nastiness from the drain. I borrowed a huge power auger thinking that would help. At the end of the day the drain was still completely clogged. I was just about to admit defeat and take Isabel to the back yard to hose her off before bedtime. As I was taking the walk of shame through the house I decided to take one final desperate attempt. I went into the garage, grabbed the plunger and shuffled back to the tub with my head hung low. After just two plunges the water swooshed down the drain in a matter of seconds. The plunger!!! Why didn’t I think of that in June? How could it be that simple?
Yesterday afternoon we drove 700 miles from Levelland to Topeka, Kansas to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. We loaded the car down with toys, movies, a grab bag of surprises, and snacks for Isabel. After all the strategic planning and packing do you know what it was that grabbed her attention and kept her the most entertained? Those tiny looking airplanes that leave a thin trail of smoke behind them all the way across the sky! Simple things!!
We really do a lot to complicate life. Sometimes (for me, most of the time) we forget the simple things. So this Thanksgiving I thank God for the simple things…The simplicity of a smile or a hug from Isabel, time to sit and relax for a couple of days with my family, and the simple and free grace of God.
Happy Thanksgiving!
My soul, wait
This has been a hard week for me. This morning as I was reading in the Psalms I came across an old favorite of mine: Psalm 62.
My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only in my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will you assail a man, That you may murder him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse.
My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
The first couple of verses are really easy to say…”My soul waits in silence for God only…” In the course of my day to day life, when things are running smoothly, when life is easy, I can say with confidence that my soul waits for God.
But if you keep reading through this Psalm to verse 5, David writes, “My soul, wait in silence for God only.” He wrote about the difficulties he was facing in verses 3-4, then he repeated his statement from verse 1 with one significant difference: He had to remind himself…to tell himself (his soul)…to wait for God.
It’s in the middle of a hard week that I find it more difficult to say with confidence, “my soul waits” and I have say to myself, “my soul, wait in silence for God only.”
