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Thursday, September 28, 2023

25,000 and Counting!



What is 25,000? Several years ago I heard someone discussing Mark Batterson’s book IFThe question of “how many days had each of us lived” was posed. The challenge was to count each day. Online I found a way to calculate my days from birth to a specific date and began to record them in my devotional journal. That was some years ago, but on September 23, 2023, I hit 25,000 days! 

The challenge had been to evaluate our days for purpose. Each time I wrote the total number of days I had been given, I became more aware of what I had done with each of these days, or often not done. Over these many years of living, I have wasted more time than I care to admit but have also known days and seasons of waiting for God’s leading on what would be next or what decision to make. I have also celebrated many of the days, celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations, births of children, friendships both new and old, and achievements, mine and others. While we prefer not to think about dark times, there have been days that felt hopeless, endless, and uncertain. I have grieved for others’ losses as well as my own. My timeline also finds days of service and sacrifice, obedience and obstinance, revival and remorse, faithfulness and failures. We are each full of such days.

 

Quite unplanned, my 25,000th day fell on my 50th High School Reunion! I grew up in a small town in Northeast Mississippi, and most all of my classmates and I started first grade together, then graduated together. Additional blessings entered the mix as new classmates trickled into our group over the years, and they just seem to be part of the original group. We had a moment of memorial for 27 of our classmates who have died, each name read aloud. Tears and heartfelt memories prevailed during this part, each of us remembering precious times together. We were challenged in a devotion by our beloved classmate “Hule” - now Reverend - to remember them, but we also must remember Christ, remember our living alongside Him, and ask how our own reunion with God will be. Thirty-three of us stood for a group photo, all having lived at least 68 years, living through joys and losses, with health and diseases, celebrating successes and enduring disappointments, retelling the best memories and sharing the now. Laughter was loud. Legend and legacy stood shoulder to shoulder. From these folks, some of the next generation and the next have entered this world, hopefully to make the world a better place, to be a light to others.

 

Batterson suggests that counting our days is like “counting the possibilities” of our lives. The opportunities we have every day to make a positive impact for Christ in this world is countless. He writes, “The possibilities of your life are limitless.” If we seek God, He will show us more possibilities than we can imagine. Find your God-given passion and purpose and act! I remain more than grateful to God’s generosity to me - 25,000 days and counting! To God be the Glory in all that we do in service for Him. -dho

 

** I confess to not having read IF, but I will say my favorite Batterson book is Whisper, How to Hear the Voice of God. I recommend it. I wrote a Summer Series on my blog in 2019 about this book (June 13, 2019-September 5, 2019). Can search the blog by “2019 Summer Series” or go to the 2019 index.




Thursday, September 14, 2023

Grace Falls Gently

 God always pours His grace into empty hands. ~St. Augustine



I sometimes find my hands too full, holding all the moments that charm me, claim me, constrain me, conceal me. Sometimes I hold to them in fear that I will lose them or not find them again. Then, sometimes I hold to them in joy for the same reasons. Either way, I hold to them tightly, hands full! Only when I lay them at the altar, in confession or with celebration, can I open my hands to the Holy Father. The vivid imagery that comes to my mind is kneeling with my hands empty, palms up, and knowing His grace falls gently to me. Holy Father, may I know Your Glory in all the moments. ~ dho

Thursday, September 07, 2023

To God be the Glory

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! In honor of Thomas, my nephew, I want to post a memory of his journey in 2011. When a child has cancer, the whole family walks the days of uncertainty together. Take a moment to remember the 47 children who have been diagnosed with cancer today! Remember their families!  


When you think life is going along as expected, just wait! It won't be long before there will come some interruption ~ usually unexpected. When I look back, I can often find that God has been preparing my heart in my devotional and prayer time. Such has been my experience again. 

Six days after my last blog entry, the world seemed to stop for a few minutes; my breath seemed too thick to move in and out of my lungs as I heard, "Thomas has a brain tumor." Thomas is my 9 year old nephew, the only child of my only sister. Surgery followed two days later to remove as much of the tumor as possible. An estimated 90-95% of the malignant tumor was removed. Now we are just beginning 30 daily radiation treatments. 

Everything in between what used to be and what is now ~ just happened! Some call such situations disasters, tragedies, unfortunate. Truly this is something that none of us would have chosen, yet it brings new dimension to our faith. This difficult circumstance that we did not choose brings us to our knees before God in a way that nothing but tragedy can. We seek the God of miracles! We praise the God All-knowing! We trust the God of Healing and Wisdom! We move forward only with God! God is our Refuge and our Protection. As so often our prayers remind . . . It is hard for our human hearts to imagine but God loves you,Thomas, MORE than any of us! To God be the Glory!


pray with us ~ 
God of miracle-wonders
God of well-thought-out-plans ~
His cloud-brightness burst through a grand 
comet of fireworks. Then God thundered out 
of heaven; the High God gave a great shout
We have seen You ~ the Light in our darkness. 
We have felt You ~ the Power in our weakness. 
We have heard You ~ the Voice in the chaos. 
We celebrate You! We praise You! We rest in 
the mountaintop refuge, safe.
Love Most High, in all times You are our 
shield of protection! You rescue us, touch us, 
heal us, lead us forward.
For such love, words search but find no escape, 
captives of mediocrity. 
God, make my life complete as we place all 
the pieces before You
Hear the deepest, wordless prayers of our hearts. Amen. ~ dho 

[Scripture from Psalm 18 ~ The Message]

You can follow this amazing God-journey that Thomas is making at www.CaringBridge.org/visit/ThomasMcGirr

**previously posted on this blog/2011/DonnaOswalt