Gratitude Monday

Renewing.... Refreshing.... Convicting.... Fun.... Wild and Crazy.... Restful....

That was my weekend.

Now, a new week begins and I'm going to begin it with giving thanks to Him.

#41-67

Grace... so much given to me that it is a must that I give it out freely and often

A broken heart which allows His spirit to enter in

Songs that reach deep into the core of my heart

Prayer

A God who listens to my prayers

A God who answers my prays

For an answer to prayer that is bringing a little girl home where she belongs

Friends who pray with you

Silence

A long commute to work

My Sunday school class full of loud boys who make me smile every week

Yesterday's sermon and the way God spoke to me... renewing my spirit.... reminding me that He cares and loves me.

His unfailing love

A God who fights the battle so that I don't have to

Monday holidays which allows all of us to stay early into the morning at the Pavatt's

Friends who come to your rescue

A warm summer day, perfect for swimming

Rope swings

A log perfect for sitting on in the creek

Tucking in little ones at bedtime

Leading a 4 and 5 year old in prayer for my baby brother cuz we miss him

Listening to those same 2 girls sing "Love came down"

Their sweet voices telling their Father "I am Yours, forever Yours"

A clean house

A good cup of coffee

Fresh strawberries

His hands holding mine every step of my day

More to my gratitude list

21. text messages
22. teenage girls
23. good friends
24. strawberries
25. listening to Air1 while at work
26. a boss that lets me listen to Air1 while at work
27. Christian rock bands
28. a week of work behind me
29. the potential craft find that is free:)
30. sunglasses
31. a cheap vet bill
32. a very surprisingly cheap electric bill
33. unexpected graduation money
34. random get togethers with my two favorite married couples
35. the look on a 4 year old face when she sees me
36. memories made on a trampoline
37. watching children learn lessons you've been praying that they would learn
38. organic soy peanut butter'
39. watch kris eat her first pb&j sandwich in 8 years
40. God's amazing grace extended to me so that I might extend it to others

He won't leave me alone

Remember this verse from yesterday?

Blessed is the man who listens to Me,

Watching daily at My doors,

Waiting patiently at my doorway.

Proverbs 8:34

It's on my mind... working on my heart... haunting me... convicting me...

He won't leave me alone.

I run.

I hide.

I fight.

I argue.

He's still there. Never goes... it is I that leaves the safety of His arms

Why? Good question. I have no good answer. My flesh is oh so strong and lately it's voice loud. His voice is soft, yet consistent. Always there, whispering the same words over and over.

"I love you. Listen to Me. Wait on Me. Trust Me. I love you, and I have plans for you. Mighty plans. Your mine and I will never leave nor forsake you. Trust Me. Wait on Me."

"Blessed is the man"

I want to be blessed. 

The problem is I want what I want. I forget that His idea of blessings and mine are often very different. The thing is... His blessings are always better. His plans are always bigger then mine. At first they might like crazy... even scary, but in the end I'm always glad that He went His way and not mine.

"Who listens to ME,"

Listen. Ha! That is not a strong point in my life. I'm a talker... a thinker... a fixer... a doer. Listening requires stillness and being quiet. I'm pretty sure that is why I'm getting a lesson in waiting. My Father is trying to teach me how to be still. Everything I want to be... a wife... a mother... a teacher... a devoted Christ-follower. All of these require stillness... listening... patience... 

"Watching daily at my doors,"

Daily... in this verse this one word is what He keeps pointing out. Daily. Daily watch. Daily listen. Daily wait. Each day is a new battle. I may have lost the battle yesterday but today I can win. The war is already won. I know how it ends. I know that He will win... has won. But today I must choose to fight the battle. 

Today I will chose to listen... to watch... to wait... to trust in Him.

"Waiting at my doorway."

In the doorway... not in the back or in the dark. In the doorway! There is a plan for my life. There is a purpose. He knows.... not I. It's not my job to plan my steps... that's His job. My job is to wait in the doorway looking out knowing that there is a path. Knowing that my God has a plan. For now I am to stand here... quietly... listening for His voice... waiting on His timing.

For they that wait....

Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

Wait..... sigh..... the one word that I wish He would not say. Yet for some reason, He keeps saying it.... its the same answer every time, for every question. 

Maybe He's trying to teach me something.

Maybe I'm not listening. 

What does it mean to wait? What does it look like? I know what it doesn't look like.

Waiting is not running
Waiting is not an excuse to go a different direction.
Waiting does not mean He has forgotten me.

It simply means to be still and know that He is God.

What does it look like?? 

Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for Him.
Psalm 37:7

My soul waits for the LORD

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130:6

Stillness.... Dedication.... Patiently..... Quietly.... Obediently....  and until He says to stop.

Blessed is the man who listens to me,

watching daily at my doors,

waiting at my doorway.

Proverbs 8:34

Listen to ME.... Watch for ME.... Wait for ME.....

Why is it so hard to obey Him?
Why is it so hard to wait?

The reward for waiting is His blessing. What is better then the blessing of my Father? Does He not know better then I? Do I not hear His promises to fulfill the desire of my heart? Do I really think that I know best?

I am desperate to hear His voice.... and then I find this verse.

I wait for You, O LORD;

You will answer, O LORD my GOD.

Psalm 38:15

Sigh.... the answer once again is to wait. 

But... He promises to hear me. He says He will answer me. 

I waited patiently for the LORD;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

I guess my only choice is to sit back and wait. I must stop fighting it. There is no other choice. He has given me no alternative. The answer remains the same. In my prayer time He once again brings back to mind the verse behind this blog.

Yes LORD, 

walking in the way of Your laws, 

I wait for You;

Your name and renown

is the desire of my heart.

Isaiah 26:8

He is the desire of my heart... sadly He often has to remind me. There is nothing this world can offer that satisfies me like He does. So what if I have to wait. At least I am in His arms.  I know that He loves me. I know that He does have plans for my life, and that alone is enough. I don't have to know or understand what they are. I have to trust that He knows best. He will let me know when He is ready... when I am ready. 

For now... I will wait on Him.

The pressure makes us stronger
The struggle makes us hunger
The hard lessons make the difference
And the difference makes it worth it

So we sing a lullaby
To the lonely hearts tonight
Let it set Your heart on fire
Let it set You free
When you're fighting to believe
in a love that you can't see
Just know there is a purpose
For those who wait

Fireflight

Gratitude Community

In order to find the "skittles" in life I have joined A Holy Experience's Gratitude Community (check out the link in the right hand column). The goal is to make a list of a thousand gifts, not gifts I want, but gifts that I have.

1. Grace
2. Forgiveness
3. A job that allows me to blog :-)
4. Sunshine
5. Family
6. Friends
7. Friends that have become family
8. A chance to restore an old friendship
9. SportCenter (because I LOVE staying caught up with football news)
10. A Co-worker who always has SportCenter on during the day
11. Football and the fun fellowship it provides
12. and the way yelling and screaming during a game builds stress and relieves stress all at the same time... not sure how that works :-)
13. A good book
14. A degree finished
15. The sound of a C-130 overhead that brings back soooo many childhood memories
16. The job C-130's provided for my dad so that he could raise us kids the way he wanted to
17. A military that fights so that I might have freedom
18. A brother who is carrying on the family tradition of serving this wonderful country
19. Only three more weeks till I get to hug my "baby" brother!!!
20. The love of my Father who promises to never ever leave me

His glory unnoticed

Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?

Who is like you-

MAJESTIC in HOLINESS,

AWESOME in GLORY,

WORKING WONDERS?

Exodus 15:11

As I was driving though town today running some errands for my boss I saw a yellow car and a smile broke out on my face. Familiar with the game "skittle?" I wasn't until just recently. The Pavatt kids taught it to me. It's real easy... when you see a yellow car just shout "skittle!" I play it often when I'm in the car with them. Sunday I was with another group of kids playing the same game, and so today when I was driving I saw a yellow car and smiled... I shouted "skittle!" 

Even though no one heard me. 

Then I heard His voice.

How often do I look for the "skittles" throughout my day?

Those things that stand out and scream loudly His glory?

They're everywhere... If I take the time to notice them.

The Bible states that every man is without excuse... we all are given the chance to know Him. His glory is revealed all around us.

We are all without excuse.

I am without excuse. 

 Do I take notice of the way He decorates His world?

Do I notice even the littlest detail... like the way a flower is so perfectly knitted together by the same hands that knit me together.

 

Am I thankful for those small details that I love so much?

Do I take time to give Him credit... or do I think that He already knows?

He does... but He loves to hear me say thanks. He loves to hear me give Him the glory. He loves to hear me praise Him because He loves me. His relationship with me is important to Him.

He longs to hears my voice.... and in return I will hear His.

Men cannot open their eyes without being compelled to see Him. Indeed His essence is incomprehensible... But upon His individual works He has engraved unmistakable marks of His glory, so clear and so prominent that even unlettered... folk cannot plead the excuse of ignorance... Wherever you cast your eyes, there is no spot in the universe wherein you cannot discern at least some sparks of glory."

~John Calvin

He is impossible to miss.

The Heavens declare the GLORY of GOD;

the skies proclaim the WORK of HIS hands.

Psalm 19:1

How can you not see Him?
Does one really believe that all this beauty just happened?

So what about you?


What about me?


Do you notice Him.... do I notice Him?


How about this one? 

Do you... do I.... take TIME to notice Him?

Do I really give Him the glory that is due to Him?

If you.... If I.... am not seeking Him, than what am I... you... seeking? 

You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

He is my bright in dark

It's another rainy day in May.

I know some people cannot stand days like this... it makes them gloomy, and depressed.

Not me

It makes me smile

I love the sound of rain hitting the cars out on the lot.
The way it falls from the sky.
Lightening shooting across the sky... a reminder of the Mighty God I serve.

The past few weeks have been dark. Not the rainy, stormy type of dark that I have grown to love. It's that type of darkness, pitch black, that swallows you whole. That seeks to strangle the life right out of you. This darkness is full of lies, unfulfilled expectations, and loneliness. The type of darkness that has no light at all.

Darkness cannot linger when there is light.

I know the reason for this darkness. Yet it seems so hard to step out of.
I know what must take place to step out... but that first step is painful.

This battle of trusting in the Lord is relentless. It seems that as of late... the dark side has been winning. Today as I look out across the sky I am reminded of my Savior. The one who sends in the rain to make things new. Oh how I need the rain to come. I needed this visual of what God will do in my life... if only I will let Him.

I want to move... I want to make plans... I want... I want.... I want....

And all I get is.... wait.

I don't like this answer... and then I read this quote:

“But it is precisely when we do not have what we would ask for, and only then, that we can clearly perceive His all-sufficiency. It is when the sea is moonless that the Lord has become my Light.”- Elizabeth Elliot

It is in that complete and all-consuming darkness that He must become my light. 

I will CHOSE to see His light.
I will LIFT up my eyes to Him.

I lift my eyes to the hills

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip

He who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalm 121

  I will pray for the rain to come 

Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;

it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds.

He gives showers of rain to men,

and plants of the field to everyone.

Zechariah 10:1

I will allow it to change me... to heal me.... to grow me closer to Him.

Only He can send it.

He will send it....

But will I receive it?

He covers the sky with clouds;

He supplies the earth with rain

and makes grass grow on the hills.

Psalm 147:8

I am looking forward to the rain. For I know that once the storm clouds roll through, the sun sill shine like never before. Everything looks, smells, feels, different and clean after the storm. He is that light. He is that cleansing spirit that renews my soul. He is the brightness in my life.

He is like the light at sunrise

on a cloudless morning,

like the brightness after rain

that brings grass form the earth.

2 Samuel 23:4

    

Graduation

Well, I did it... I have graduated. So much happened that I'm not sure where to even begin. The trip was wonderful, lots of time in the car, but I had a great time visiting. It was a place I once called home for a very short season of my life.

Going back was hard... I was reminded of how much I love that place. I really wasn't too excited about coming back here.I keep praying that God will allow me to move back there. There is something so peaceful about that place. I have some amazing friends there that I really miss seeing.

I really do love that University. I am sad that I chose not to stay. I know that I can't go down the "what if" road but it was hard not too while visiting there. There is something about that campus that stirs my soul. I remember stepping out of the building after class, every time I'd stop and take in the beautiful mountains that loom in the background. God is present at that place... He is using that University to change lives, to change the world.

I know I want to go back... I'm not done. I want to stay in school. I can see myself sometime down the road receiving my PhD from that place. First I have to get another MA(: Well see what God says. I've asked to stay in but I'm getting the same answer as to all my other questions..."wait."

Oh how I am growing weary of hearing that word. I know that God is teaching me patience, humility, and trust in this time of my life. But I'd be lying if I said it was easy. Part of why I would love to move is because I am tired of sitting still. For those of you who know me I am a doer. I don't like to sit still and wait. I'm a fixer, this not knowing what the future holds drives me crazy. As I try to reroute my life from the place God has placed me I am once again reminded of the words of Isaiah... and I let out a sigh, bow my head and let it go. I know that what He has is store is far better then what I could plan on my own.

So I wait.

Isaiah 40:31

  But those who wait on the LORD
      Shall renew their strength;
      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
      They shall run and not be weary,
      They shall walk and not faint.

I AM DONE

So just a little while ago I submitted my final paper. After today there are no more deadlines, no more assignments, no more papers to be written, no more discussion boards to write on, no more tests, and no more school!! I don't think it has hit me just yet. When I get back there will be no more papers to write at work... not more wondering what is due next. No more thinking about what the next class will be like. No more!! I don't think you understand how weird this will be for me. For the last 19 years of my life I have been in school. All my life I have ended school in May only to experience a short summer break. Not anymore... nope... I am not registered for any classes this fall (my dad is soooo happy). Of course I am thinking this will only be a short break. Unless I get married, which is not at all in the plans, I will get another degree. I'm thinking a MA in counseling. Maybe a PhD after that..lol. Only God knows(:

For now I am going to sit back and enjoy the summer.

My summer to do list:

•   Spend time loving on some kids... all 9 of the ones that God has so graciously put in my life to shower affection on. 
• Steal the nephew for a whole weekend(:
• Many random sleepovers with the Pavatt kids
• go to the zoo with at least one of my kids
• Stay up late with girlfriends.. and their crazy husbands
• go to Dallas to see a good friend before she gets married
• hold Ben soon after he enters this world
• talk long walks with Strider
• Ride more often
• Teach Romeo how to jump
• Finish the many art projects I have started
• go to the park and swing just because
• see my little brother become a man
• Run with Romeo...bareback
• go to a horse show at least once
• find some odd jobs to pay for a horse show(:
• learn to pray more 
• find ways to love on my Sunday school kids better
• memorize some Scripture 
• Complete my "Trust in the Lord" door
• go to some flea markets with my sis
• get to know my brother-in-law better
• go on a "date" with my dad
• go shopping with my mom
• and sooo much more.....

More like falling in love

So this morning on the way to work I was out of character and had the radio on (usually I am a cd listener more then a radio listener). I caught part of an interview with the artist Jason Gray who was talking about one of his songs titled More Like Falling in Love. I, not being a frequent radio listener, had not yet heard his song. Finding his interview very interesting I had to look up the song. LOVE IT!!! Fantastic writing skills and beautifully written. In his interview he discussed the topic of legalism, which if you have read any of my previous posts you know that this subject is one of my favorites. The song very masterfully tears down legalism and builds up a faith that must be based on the love of a Father, not on any rules. Jason was discussing some of the controversy that has come about because of the words in this song.

When I hear a song like this I can see why some people have a problem with it. This song is tells us that following Christ is less about rules and more about love. Too often Christians try to make this "religion" about the rules. That is not at all what Christ desires. After all didn't He come and give His life so that we would no longer be bound by the chains of the law?? Christ came to give us freedom (Romans 3). It's not just about believing or pledging allegiance to someone. Jason talked about how God desires more then just a bunch of believers who follow some rules. He wants our love, our devotion, and a relationship with us. In a blog he writes,
    

   "Love redefines the terms of the relationship, infusing our devotion to the law with passion and purpose something we do for love rather than obligation.  When done out of love, the law which once brought death and condemnation has a chance to make us alive again, because we do it out of delight.  But it all starts with love."

On the air today he mentioned that many people who get caught up in legalism are seeking to find a way to serve God while also serving themselves. There are certain things that they are willing to sacrifice but they aren't willing to give up everything. That would be too risky. The love he is talking about in this song is not the warm, fuzzy, emotionally based love that our culture defines the word as. Jason is talking about the type of love that takes a hold of us and requires us to give up our whole life. After all is this not how Christ defined love?

Of course when you talk about love in this way it terrifies people... and it should!! This type of love peels back the layers of our heart and reveals the selfish human underneath. This type of love requires ultimate trust, a willingness to lay down our guard and another very scary word... vulnerability.

Jason points out that when we insist on legalistic terms its our way of trying to maintain control. We try to make salvation something that we can do. It takes the emphasis off of God and puts it on us and that is a dangerous thing to do. It is never about us, and it is always about Him. Calvin puts it this way...

"Until men recognize they they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, 

that he is the Author of their every good, 

that they should seek nothing beyond him, 

they will never yield him willing service. 

Nay, unless they establish their complete 

happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him."

When we make following Christ all about following rules we lose sight of what it means to truly follow Him. In a parable Christ said that the kingdom of heaven was like a treasure hidden in a field... when a man it, he hid it, and then in joy, sold everything he had and bought the field (Mt 13). I don't think that Christ told this story as a mere suggestion to give up everything. Christ requires that we give up everything. The single greatest commandment is to love the Lord with ALL our heart, soul and might. I love this quote by R.A. Torrey...

"If loving God with all our heart and soul and might

is the greatest commandment,

then it follows that not loving him that way

is the greatest sin." 

Convicting isn't it. 

When we insist on legalistic terms we forget about grace. Not a single one of us can uphold any law, without God's grace we would be condemned to hell. Thankfully God doesn't require us to "follow rules" in order to be saved. It is simply about receiving His love, which is given to us; His grace, which is offered freely; and His mercy, which not a one of us deserves. I am so glad that my "religion" is more like falling in love:)




*check out Jason Gray's blog on this song
           http://jesusfreakhideout.com/jfhblog/template_archives_cat.asp?cat=35

A long gallop

There is not much that can compare to a spontaneous, bareback ride on an old friend. Tuesday night after dinner I got this sudden urge to go for a ride. The weather was perfect, and the sun just about gone from the sky. This wasn't an evening for a training session with the young one, nope I wanted to just go for a worry free ride and for that my trusted old mare was the right choice. It's been twelve years almost exactly since that glorious day when I received my first horse, little did I know that she would one day become my most trusted friend, she knows all my deepest secrets.

There is a bond between us that runs as deep as the ocean. She knows my thoughts and I know hers. There is a trust there that cannot be broken. We have been on many adventures together and overcome a multitude of obstacles. God has used her to teach me countless lessons on patience, determination, confidence, leadership, self-control and so many others. We haven't always been able to trust each other. Both of us were just mere adolescence when our friendship began and we spent much of the first years arguing with one another. As the years went by we slowly learned that we were on the same team and ever so slowly the tight bond was woven.

That evening I was searching for the path that would allow me to forget the troubles of the past week. An escape from the loneliness that had been plaguing me. I headed out to the pasture with simply a blanket and her halter. She knew what it was that I needed. She stood patiently as I fasten the halter and tied the lead rope to the sides. We walked out of the gate and I jumped to her back. For awhile we just leisurely strolled around my parents property soaking in the final warmth of the day, as we watched the sun slowly fade behind the trees. We moved on to the neighbors tall, unkept pasture and I smiled as the grass tickled my bare feet. We hit the stretch where we often take our gallops and I smiled as Dutch tugged on the rope, asking to be let loose. Eventually, I gave in. I wrapped my legs around her warm belly, grabbed a handful of her flowing mane and let the rope loose. With a toss of her head she took off. Away we went, tearing across the green earth, the only noise was the sound of the wind in my face and her hooves on the ground. The feel of her muscles beneath me was powerful; breathtakingly so. Its the feeling of absolute freedom, nothing could touch us. The worries of the week were gone, there was no way they could keep up with us. As quickly as it came it was over. She slows down and we once again returned to a leisurely walk. The fireflies were now out and the whole sky was full of their soft, blinking lights. It's was my first taste of summer. It's almost here. There will be many more long night. Many more quiet rides to ease all my worries.
 I am thankful for a God who gives me such an escape. A God who values peace and quiet even more so then I do.

The way to humility

Yes, I am posting twice in one day! School is winding down, can you tell? I've been reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis this week. The book is a collection of letters that Lewis wrote from the enemies perspective. It is a demon writing letters to his nephew about how to better tempt and destroy a man whom he is in charge of. In chapter 4 there is a part of a letter that has stuck with me all week and I am hoping that it makes a drastic change in the way my prayer life goes. Screwtape is writing to Wormwood about how to keep his patient, as they call him, from having an effective prayer life.

 He writes, "They can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls."

He continues on for a few pages regarding this and this is what I came away thinking. Kneeling to pray is not an immediate fix all solution to my heart, however it is a start. Give it a try and tell me what you think. There is just something about taking the time to kneel in His presence. It is very visible reminder of where I should be all the time. All my prayers should be approached in that type of humility. He is after all a King and who am I that I should be worthy to come into His presence. I think we sometimes forget to feel and think that way. We get comfortable in our prayer time, if we make a prayer time at all. Getting down on my knees forces me to become humble. It takes sacrifice, it means a few less minutes of sleep. Oh to have to sacrifice for the One who sacrificed for me. Sometimes the way I think and act completely disgust me. I struggle and rationalize ways to end my quiet time early and shamefully there are times when I can talk myself out of just not having one. That's because sacrifice is hard. It hurts, it cost me sleep, it cost me time with friends, and it can be very lonely. But my sacrifice is nothing compared to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me.

Sacrifice hurt the Lamb as He was led away to be slaughter.
Sacrifice was the reason why the Son of God had trouble sleeping the night before His betrayal.
Sacrifice cost the Redeemer His friends.
Sacrifice was the reason why the Father turned His face away from my Savior leaving Him completely alone.

The results of my sacrifice are nothing compared to the things that He endured because of His sacrifice. Surely I can handle the small of amount of pain, the few minutes of less sleep, the few memories I will miss out with friends, and surely I can handle a feeling of loneliness so that I might draw nearer to Him.

Sometimes I don't feel like praying, sometimes I don't feel like worshiping, sometimes I don't feel like smiling, however God says to do so. I often find that when I am obedient, even when I don't feel like it, God blesses me. Too often we think that feelings must come first. I need to get my heart in the right place before I say a prayer, or sing a song to Him. I agree with that, but sometimes the first step in righting our heart is preforming the action. When I come to church in a sour mood, not wanting to sing I suck it up and sing. I sing because God tells me to worship Him. As I am obeying Him eventually my heart follows. Kneeling doesn't mean you are humble it says that you want to be humble and you are taking the necessary action to get there.

Another rainy Saturday

So its another rainy day at the lot. Last night another series of storms came thundering across the state. Another night of peaceful sleep while the rain fell all around. There is a strong chance of another line coming again tonight. Have I mentioned that I LOVE rain, especially thunderstorms. I could do without the tornadoes that destroyed some parts of the state, leaving many without homes this morning. I am so thankful that the storms stayed clear of Greenbrier.

I was a little late to work this morning. When I arrived at my parents house I was gratefully surprised by a little voice yelling "Kaffer!!" My three year old nephew had spent the night at Poppy's and Mimi's. I LOVE that little boy more then I ever imagined that I could love a child. He is a very special boy and the best reminder of just how amazing God is. He is the joy of our family and spoiled to the core:) He was so excited to see me.. and immediately decided that we had to go play with his toys. I sadly had to tell him that I couldn't, that Kaffer had to go to work. I was rushing to get out the door, because of course I kept lingering around, soaking up every moment with this sweet little boy, I remembered that I needed to borrow a book from my mom to take with me to the lot. Ryan jumped up off the couch and ran over to his pile of books and said, "Here Kaffer, you can take my book!" It is moments like that which make your heart melt. Simple statements of a giving heart from one who is only been on this earth for a short while. There was no hesitation in his voice, he was excited at the chance to share his book with his aunt. He heard me voice a need, saw that he could help me, and immediately jumped up to do so.

Isn't that how was as Christians should be? Shouldn't we jump up at the opportunity to help others? Not just help but do so with an excited, joyful attitude. So often we help others out of obligation. After all Christ told us to help one another. It's one of those things that has crept onto our "Christian check list," just another way that I have done my Christian duty for the month. We as Christians, as followers of the One who never hesitates to help us, we need to develop an attitude more like that of my nephews. Even if it is something as simple as a book.