The Small Things

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

Psalm  23:1-2

As I sit down to write this post, tears are brimming in my eyes.  I'm not even sure why--pure thankfulness, I guess.  I look back over the verse I just typed with fresh awe.  Awe that is granted by God Himself.  The Lord God Almighty, Yahweh is my Shepherd.  He provides for all my needs.  In Him, I have every good thing.  He alone gives me rest.  He is the Giver of good things.  Oh the sweetness of His Presence! Sweeter than honey to my lips, indeed.  Friends, being surrounded by the precious babies here is amazing.  It is a miraculous gift every single day.  But even the greatest of earthly gifts does not and will never compare to the gift of Himself.  His Presence. His Word. His thoughts.  His nearness. Who am I, that He would choose to be near to me?  But He has chosen to be near to us all.

A few of the foreign staff members here at Maria's have been doing a weekly study on grace.  The first week, the author of the study challenged the readers to learn the art of noticing.  Noticing that His grace surrounds us every single moment of every single day.  Did you wake up this morning?  His grace.  Is your heart still beating at this moment?  His grace.  Do the birds of the air have food today?  His grace.  I read a quote by Oswald Chambers that I then wrote on the little dry erase frame beside my bed.  It says:

What makes God so dear to us is not so much the big blessings, but the tiny things.  Because they show us His amazing intimacy with us.  He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.

I want to notice Jesus in the small things.  I asked myself, "What would happen if I take a moment and slow down?  What if I ask Jesus to reveal Himself to me in every single thing I do?" I pray to begin doing just that. If any of you know me, you know that I absolutely love sprinkles.  I would put sprinkles on everything if I could.  Not because they taste good, or because they really add anything to the food...but because they just make you happy! They are not necessary, but they sure are a blessing when they are present (please don't tell me if you don't agree!).  I carry a little notebook around in my purse, affectionately called my "China Notebook", original name, I know.  In this notebook, I write the names of food I need to remember, I write down the names of people, phone numbers, addresses, and how to say certain phrases in Chinese (example of a conversation I recently memorized for future use: Abby to taxi driver- "Sir, you went the long way so that we'd pay more money.  I understand that you are ripping me off.  I will give you the money, but this is not good").  Well, my notebook now has a new page entitled "His Grace".  This is where I'm recording His sprinkles.  The precious moments that my King grants me, simply for my enjoyment.  The little things He does that remind me that He is near.  The things that wouldn't make my life terrible if they were missing, but they sure are a blessing when they are present.  I want to share this week's list:

Holding a sleeping baby

Warm coffee and a quiet place to meet Him

Feeling "normal"- health

Inside jokes

Nicknames

Hot Showers

Hearing children sing worship songs

A hammock and a warm day

Clean laundry

A new journal

The crunch of a crisp apple

Hugs from kids who are big enough to wrap their legs all the way around you

The amazing thing is that behind each of these sprinkles is a story.  A story of His nearness.  May we be inclined to see and believe. He is everywhere and intricately involved in each detail of our lives.  The other amazing things is that this list will change over time because He gives grace for each moment and each season.  His grace is personalized to every individual need.  And He alone knows what I need.   Friends, do you have a list? I encourage to begin your sprinkle list soon.  :)