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Today I spent some time going through the bin of left over school supplies to see what we could recycle for the upcoming school year. Then we waded through "the list" that the school puts out of required items. Either I had no clue what my parents did for us each year or things have gotten a lot more complicated over time!!
After spending almost an hour sorting and making my combined grade level shopping list, the kids and I set off on the official "school supply shopping trip!" It is always fun for me to see how excited they get about finding a composition notebook with flare, a cool looking (flexible) ruler and Kleenex boxes with unique designs!
They are about to begin fresh once again. As Billy Coffee so eloquently put it, "...summer vacation is the Great Eraser, three months of sunshine and play that put enough distance between me and the previous nine months to suggest the next year might be mine to own."
Thankfully, their school experiences have been mostly positive up to this point. Although there are some lingering apprehensions about who they will play with, who their teacher will be and what they might be like, etc. they basically know what to expect and what will be expected of them. So for now, they are enjoying all of "the new." Simple as it may be.
Shoes were also purchased; and as they were excitedly plodding around in them (breaking them in), this verse came to mind: "... because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." I was reminded that God blesses me(us) with "new" every morning.
I needed that reminder.
That visual that I could excitedly plod around in the newness of God's grace and love toward me. That although I often fall short as a parent, spouse, friend, and in my walk with the Lord; that He invites me to start fresh again filled with His grace and love.
Thank you God. I pray that you will fill me anew with Your presence. I lift up my soul to You.
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." (Psalm 143:8)
12 comments:
Dear Shanda,
My brother-in-law, Hank was my Christian mentor. We golfed one day, and he had the audacity to wear long, fire engine red pants on the course. I howled in disbelief.
After the game, we sat down in chairs under an old willow and gabbed. A joke was told that struck his funny bone deeply, and he drew his foot, and knee, to his neck as he laughed at the moment.
I had my camera next to me, lifted it and snapped that shot.
It was a good day.
For Christmas, I bought a small frame at WalMart and a white mat to cover the 5 X 7 shot.
On the mat, I hand printed:
"Satisfy us in the morning
with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy, and
be glad all our days"
~~~Psalm 90:14
The picture of Hank laughing so hard in a curled position, after a wonderful day of golf, was centered in the frame.
Your post brought that magical day back to me, and Hank died back in 1995, so your "New" is quite the memory jog, eh?
"... because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
I love this verse. This is another one that remains scrawled out and hung inside my kitchen cabinet.
Thank God for the "new" mornings, chances, compassions. I need 'em!
I hope you all are blessed with a fantastic school year!!
Shanda,
There is always excitement around our house too when we set out to buy school supplies for the new year. Fresh and new things are always fun to get. I love how you tied in each "new" morning is a new gift of God's mercy and grace, a new chance to begin a "new" from square one. I guess that was my interpretation. :) But anyway, thanks for the reminder. It ministered to me alot. Glad you are back and sharing what God lays on your hear. It always ministers to me.
Christy
Aww Shanda, thanks for the shout out!
There are many times in my life when I'm waiting for some faraway event to happen so I can start over and be made new. I needed someone to tell me that event is not in the distance, but right here every day.
Keystone,
I laughed out loud at the image of a man in red pants golfing and all "curled!"
My dad had a group of guys from work that would go out golfing together at least once a year. They affectionately called their outings, "The Moron open" as most didn't golf well; but all had fun with each other.
On our vacation I visited my Dad's grave site. There nestled into the grass in front of the head stone...a single golf ball. It touched me so deeply and brought back afternoons of watching my Dad belly laugh with his friends.
Blessings to you as God satisfies you with His love this morning!
Oh wow I love this and the pic is awesome
That was so good. I know I need my life filled and renewed daily. We all need that fill up. Loved the scripture reference.
Just happened upon your blog, I absolutely love it! thanks for sharing your walk it is always touching to be a part of other womens lives who love Jesus!!!
Shanda,
I would really have loved 18 holes of golf with the Moron Open.
My contemporary Moron is named Ralph and a joy to golf with. He is not an "inchy" person on the course, but seeks fun, not score.
His favorite swing is the Mulligan.
We do not golf anymore, for Ralph is dying, and not yet out of his 40's. It hurts to watch him fade, but I recall many a slice of life with him on the golf courses of America.
In a league, we were the worst, but had the most fun.
One day, we came up against the Bruno Brothers, an Italian pairing that was impossible for anyone to beat. Ralph is Italian too and said "Let's get these guys just once". I agreed as he hatched his plan.
Ralph showed up with a fresh hot greasy pizza and presented it to the Bruno's. (We agreed ahead of time to forego any pizza). The boys devoured their favorite greasy pizza, and we played golf.
It is hard to swing a golf club when your fingers are greasy. Funny how that ball goes in a pond or the woods with a slip of the fingers. Rarely have two morons been so happy to be in last place, and defeat the first place pairing.
They never knew that Ralph's generosity in pizza was a plan at enormous fun.
My clubs have been in his car trunk for a year since our last time out.
I will use your wonderful thoughts of placing a Titleist golf ball near his grave one day....and add a dab of grease too.
Perhaps you will post on laughter one day, and I will return to another round of golf with Ralph that caused unimaginable laughter in a game where solitude is in the rule book.
I have always taken the Psalm 90 verse of "Satisfy us in the morning,...that we may have joy all the days of our life" to mean:
"Let us know you well God, in our youth. Then, we will know joy all the days of our life".
An early relationship with God is like a hole-in-one with the Morons.
Blessings to you Shanda.
Oh, love this! (especially since I've spent a sweet forever shopping for school stuff for ONE child and cannot even imagine trying to round up stuff for several!). New mercies, new love, new forgiveness, new grace... and looking forward to the day when I have a new body and am truly the new creation that He has envisioned. I do believe He sees us as He plans for us to be, rather than as we are. If I could only see through His eyes, even for a second...
great post...so glad you are back!
One of my favorite verses (Lam. 3)! Thank God for His new mercies every morning - I need every one! Thank you for this parallel - I will now always think the start of the school year associated with God's great faithfulness.
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