Day 4-It's All Connected

I look down at the space between my desk and the wall. There sits the gate from yesterday, still unfixed and unusable. The couch hovers in my peripheral vision still covered with the laundry I started working on two days ago. I sigh. I'm thinking again about Philippians 4. Specifically, verses 4 and 5, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all." They don't quite seem to fit with the verses that follow, verses that seem more important and powerful to me, verses about anxiety, petitioning the Lord, the peace of God and, yes, thanksgiving. And yet, there they are. I think about it. Gentleness? What is gentleness exactly? I'm not sure that word characterizes me. I think about it some more. It is a fruit of the Spirit. So, I flip through my Bible and read Galations 5:22-26.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

Love? I demonstrate that sometimes. Joy? Well, I'm working on that; hopefully it will be a spiritual manifestation of the inward maturation that comes through this exercise of "journaling." Patience? Let's move on. Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control? Ha! Gentleness? The Lord knows how woefully deficient I am in all these areas. And yet, these attributes are the mark of a Christian!

Now, I'm fully aware that this side of heaven, perfection is not an option. Only Jesus Christ was perfect in every aspect of his character. But I am called to be like Christ. AT least, more like him over the course of my life as I work out my salvation...that's sanctification, a good old theological term. It rings true. It's a process, not an event. Certainly, I am a new creation in Christ, but I don't automatically bear fully-ripened fruit...so where do I start? Where does the Holy Spirit begin this work in me?

I look at the list. Thankfulness is noticeably absent. Why? It seems like a worthy quality. Jesus himself gave thanks over and over to the Father during his life and ministry. Aren't we to emulate him? I look back at verse 4 of Philippians 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice. That's another way to say, be glad! Be grateful! Give thanks! What if...what if it's all connected!? What if giving thanks not only begets the peace of God...but it also precedes the fruits of the Spirit as well? What if offering thanks to our Lord daily plants the heart-seeds which bloom to bear spiritual fruit? If my heart is brimming full with gratitude to the Lord, it spills over into every other area so that I, who have been shown MUCH grace, extend that grace in equal or greater measure to others with more love, more kindness, more patience, more, more, more.

What an excellent list! All the more reason to press on with mine today...continuing to record the good gifts of the Lord for which I am truly thankful!

76) the little ear, curved against my baby's face, that hears and knows my voice
77) the small fingers, grasped securely about my thumb
78) the sweet gaze of a father who looks lovingly at his son
79) the sound of scripture recited from the mouth of a child
80) the kaleidoscope of natural color in the rocks I find in my bathroom sink
81) the smell of fire on the morning air
82) the intricate swirl of glaze on the cream and brown Romanian pottery gracing my kitchen windowsill
83) the boo-boos brought to me for healing kisses
84) the squeezable chubbiness of my baby's growing legs
85) the fountain that springs from my faucet, ready for quenching a child's thirst
86) the cream that brings soothing relief to my baby's chapped skin
87) the way my "Shhhhhhhhh...", face close by my baby's ear, can stem the flow of his tears
88) the mountain breeze that swirls around me when I open the door
89) the hot dish water around my hands whose warmth travels gradually up my limbs and encompasses me
90) the wagging tail of a happy puppy
91) the words from my daughter, "You did that just like Grandma!", one of the best compliments I could receive
92) the wavy, distorted images through our uneven window glass
93) the leaves dancing in the wind
94) the billowing white clouds against a purple-blue sky
95) the twinkling Christmas lights still adorning neighboring shrubbery
96) the cinnamon-sugar pastry filled with sweet apples
97) the unexpected gift of wild raspberry tea
98) the shared moment of muffled laughter with my husband when a child misspeaks
99) the gesture of endearment, running his hand over my hair
100) the laughter shared viewing pictures of our children's day's endeavors