Saturday spiritual highlights

Saturday Gratitude

- Favorite quote from Saturday devotions, found in A Gospel Primer for Christians,  Learning to See the Glories of God's Love (Milton Vincent, 2008, p.54):

Understanding that I am not the ultimate end of the gospel, but rather that God's glory is, actually enables me to embrace my salvation more boldly than I would otherwise dare to do.  For example, when my timid heart questions why God would want to love one so sinful as I, I read the answer, "to the praise of the glory of His grace."  I figure, then, that my unworthiness must actually be useful to God, because it magnifies the degree to which His grace might be glorified as He lavishes His saving kindness upon me.  This line of reasoning makes perfect sense to me and convinces me to embrace the gospel with greater passion so that God might glorify Himself through me, an unworthy sinner.

Indeed, the more I embrace and experience the gospel, the more I delight in the worship of God, the more expressive my joy in Him becomes, and the more I yearn to glorify Him in all I say and do. 

- My Peter read the book of Jonah at the dinner table, without a single OCD-related stutter or repeat of words/phrases.  Momma proceeded to do the hallelujah dance.  How fitting that God healed it as Peter read from the Word.

- Nursing my toddler to sleep and watching her eyelids fall, long lashes resting against milky smooth skin.

- A perm from a very nice stylist in a salon where everybody had normal hair, which was quiet enough for me to read 2 more chapters from Ann's book.

- A 53-year-old stylist who shared my middle-age, wrinkling-skin angst. Like me, she doesn't feel any different and when she catches a glimpse of herself in a store or a random mirror, she questions who that person is.  "Surely that can't be me?"  I will be 45 in a few days, and I look 50.  I told her she'd taken very good care of herself--and obviously never resided in California--because at 53, she looked better than my impending 45.  She said that was nonsense.....and then I liked her even more.

- My handyman cousin is coming soon to size up some handyman projects that need to be done around here.  The dining-room light fixture is faulty, leaving us with too little light for school on dark, rainy days.

- Couch cuddling with my kiddos....something I'm making intentional nowadays.

- My Beth holding onto Goodnight Moon like it was a precious stuffed animal.

- A husband who let me sleep in, after at least ten wake-ups from my teething toddler.

- Whole-wheat flour shortcake with strawberries on top, tasting so wholesome.  Forgot to buy vanilla ice cream.....wishing we had an ice cream maker...hoping to find one at a garage sale this spring.

- The keyhole in the van is acting up, making it difficult to get it started lately.  I'm giving hard thanks for the way God uses that van to make it so clear that He is in control.