Thanks to the Most Deserving One

It was raining last night and today, too, was another gloomy day right on Thanksgiving! Yesterday, amid the throng of people buying all the ingredients for a traditional feast, I went directly to the aisles where I could get all the stuff I only needed. Yams? Check! Pumpkin pie? Check! Turkey? Check! Marshmallows? Not!!! I got home after that mad dash and felt so proud of how fast it took me to get everything. The sudden elation didn't last. I was disgusted to notice I was missing a couple of organic pizza I had bought. So, after verifying with the cashier, back to the store I drove! ["I wouldn't let this bother me because of Thanksgiving," I said to myself].

So, today was "cooking time!". I thought of how tired my brother and sis-in-law must be, caring for their new born baby. Since they preferred to rest at this time, I thought of making something with soup and had my hubby deliver it to them. Suppose the recipe I knew would only need 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, what would I do if I had this "elephant garlic"sitting in my pantry, which 1 clove looked like it was equivalent to a whole head of garlic?

My husband and child were cracking up when I showed them the garlic! For dinner, I'd rather make things simple. So, I shoved the turkey breast [just the right size for the 3 of us] and my child wrapped the yams in foil so we could bake them at the same time.

It was nice to hear that my brother and sis-in-law enjoyed the beef with soup and were able to rest as they hadn't cook anything yet for lunch. And we had a great supper, too!







Before this becomes a novel, let me ask you, what are you thankful for in your life? Families? Friends? House? Car? Good jobs? James 1:17 -"Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, Who created all heaven's lights."


Whatever it is, let us not forget to thank the One Who truly deserves it! Though the weather was rainy and gloomy, I thanked the Lord for we desperately needed that rain! And that my brother-in-law & his family enjoyed the soup. They felt great about it and so did I! Like that "elephant garlic", the Lord does give us "elephant-size blessings" sometimes that we don't deserve. But that is His nature. an unconditional Giver, for He loves us all. And as we receive His blessings, only then we are able to share them with others unconditionally. That's how His blessings work. They are meant to be shared, not stored for our selfish desires. But it's amazing when we share, everything becomes more and more, instead of lesser - especially when we give them with love. Jesus said, "I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you." - John 15:12.

Miracle of Birth

How exciting! My husband's sis-in-law just had a baby yesterday! It was so wonderful to be able to hold a tiny little creature, so fragile but so adorable at the same time, unmindful of the hustle and bustle of daily life. The tiny, innocent face looked like his dad, no! wait! some from the mom...lots of hair, so small fingers but with long nails! And those ten wiggly little toes that would be kicking footballs maybe in the future or soccer balls? Bundled tightly with the blanket, those pairs of eyes were shut in a peaceful sleep, not aware with the noises surrounding him.

How intricate human beings are, created by God with love! We are all loved by the One and true God! If we place our hearts and trust in Jesus, we can also grow in His likeness. We have hands and feet we can use, along with the talent He had given us, for His glory! If we allow Him to envelop us with His love, we can also be in a peaceful state despite the storms of life.

Psalm 139:13-16 - "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

Escape!

It was a holiday last Tuesday, so my husband and child didn't have work and school. We wanted to just relax and escape from the rut of everyday tasks. So, off we went driving around, without any direction and place to go to at first. Then, we decided to visit the lake nearby. What an awesome view it was! A great escape from the mundane affairs of life! The surroundings were so peaceful, visited by avid fishermen, young and old, hoping for a great catch that day! The ripples from the water could lull you to sleep! Talking about God-made "spa".

God is doing the same thing for us when we are traveling on the wrong paths of life. He provides an "escape" to help us turn to and go toward the right way. He is faithful and has loved us all from the start. All you need to do is open up your heart and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. "He is the only way, the truth and the life" - John 14:6

Life's Mirror

I always remind my son to pay a particular attention to his teeth whenever he is cleaning them. Having the brace now for a few months, he needs to closely look in front of the mirror and make sure that all the spaces in between are clean and free of plaques. I told him that it's such no use to be lazy as he has the mirror and the light to help him see his teeth when he brushes them.

James reminds us also regarding the message that God has planted into our hearts when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. From [James 1:22-25], "And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law, the law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

Next time we look into a mirror, let us pay a close attention to the image we see. Let us make sure that we will wash our face and get rid of the dirt that otherwise, we would not notice. Let us look intently to our life's mirror [the Bible] and make the Words point to the unseen dirt [sins] in our lives.

Hebrews 4:12 - "The word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."

Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path."