Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;
were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky!
Less than 20 days out, with 30 years to go, I feel that it’s crunch time. 🙂 I realize how difficult it must have been for John (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, yes) to leave out so much. “There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
When I started reflecting on my blessings, rehearsing His goodness, and remembering His faithfulness, I realized that there were so many things that God has done for me through His Son, that no blog could contain it all… because there aren’t just 50 shades of grace in my life. There are minutes which have become hours turned into days making up weeks that grew into months of years! I don’t know what that adds up to in moments, but it’s more than anyone could share. I am not intentionally leaving out the “bad parts” so that I can paint some Facebook portrait of a perfect life. Because certainly some of His blessing have come through raindrops, especially in adulthood – which I am just now approaching in my story.
But in looking back, it has given me the opportunity to pause for a moment. Since Paul reminds us not to look back for the purpose of gloating or stalling out where we are, why then should we rehearse? Because it gives us a whole-picture setting. It reveals how God has been working in the everyday of my life. It points to how I arrived to this day in this place.
Recognizing shades of grace in a lifetime creates an awareness of the faithfulness and presence of God through every circumstance. What we deem good and what we deem bad.
These next 20 days before my birthday, I will focus on the riches of His grace in our marriage and family.
Ringing in my ears and heart today are the words and tune from years ago (based on John 1:16) “From the fullness of His love we have all received one blessing after another …”
Unchained Melodye 