Tuesday 5 January 2016

Let Your Light Shine!

Today it was one of those still and bitter cold mornings...a you can see your own breath kind of morning.  I actually like them if I'm dressed all warm and cozy.  By the time I was finished chores I had ice crystals on the ends of my hair where my breath had frozen. 


Kinda like this but not near as frosty because this morning it was only - 20 or so and not - 28 like it was the day this picture was taken, but you get the picture...it was cold and crisp.

Yesterday it was the same kind of morning and I went out early to see if Elmo made it okay through the bitter cold night, it was the first really cold night we'd had this winter.  Yeah I was a little worried I'd find a frozen donkey...weird I know but it went through my mind.  He's only 8 months old and little...but he's really hairy and so he made out just fine :-)  I had a pet gerbil freeze once...it's a true story.  I had it's cage sitting in my window sill and it was bitter cold, our house was old and it got pretty frosty and drafty by the windows. I picked up my gerbil one day and he was stiff as could be, frozen, I was sure he'd died.  We had a wood stove and I brought him down there and he thawed out and was alive...pretty cool eh ;-)  See there's hope for any of us!  

Anyway, this morning as I was doing chores I was thinking as I usually do in the mornings when I do chores because it's so peaceful and quiet down in the woods.  I was thinking about "my candle", it's not like I think about it all the time but it suddenly dawned on me that my picture was put on a candle...a source of light in darkness.  It is so much my heart's desire to be a light to a broken and lost world that so desperately needs Jesus...a Saviour...a Redeemer...a Healer.  

And so I thought how fitting that my picture is on something that can be lit up and provide light and not only light but a beautiful fragrance, an aroma which we are in Christ as well.  In 2 Corinthians 2: 14 - 16 it says, But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal processions in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

Isn't that cool...I thought it was a pretty cool revelation and such a beautiful picture...not the picture on my candle, though I think it's kind of beautiful ;-) but the picture of who we are as Christians...a light and a fragrance.  And what a responsibility that is as well.  I was listening to a message once and the preacher said imagine if when you became a Christian the words "I am a follower of Christ" were stamped on your forehead and you couldn't have bangs :-) How would you behave...would it make a difference in how you lived your life.

In this New Year I want to challenge myself to live more brightly and more fragrantly because time is short...my life...your life is but a vapour, here today and gone tomorrow.  I don't want to be the candle that sits on my piano covered and unlit so there is no light or fragrance (I'm saving that one ;-))  I want to be the used up candle so that when I come to the end of my life I'll know that I have fully lived where God called me to live. 


Things to be thankful for...

1615. Another great Monday night dinner made by Kayla 
1616. Laughter at the dinner table
1617. Friendship Christmas Pageant
1618. Cute little Elmo
1619. Chat with Jocelyne
1620. Beautiful pink morning sky
1621. Refreshing early morning walk and talk with a friend
1622. Morning sunshine
1623. Elmo cuddles
1624. Chat with Will
1625. Neighbour kids out to visit Elmo
1626. Matt drove his first car home
1627. Sunshine this morning
1628. Rooms cleaned
1629. Delicious dinner at church
1630. Marriage
1631. Cupcakes
1632. Sunshine and shadows dancing across the bedroom floor
1633. Beautiful spring like day
1634. Ultrasound picture of our grandchild
1635. Chats with the kids
1636. Knitting


1637. Vibrant pinks and oranges in the morning sky
1638. Another mild day
1639. Serving at the men's breakfast
1640. Sunday morning worship
1641. Mild day
1642. Matt sliding in the church pew next to me
1643. Seeing Elmo and Daytona running around the pasture
1644. Murphy the stray cat is finally in the house



1645. Delicious dinner at my husband's moms
1646. My husband
1647. Help from Matt
1648. Another video coming together
1649. Divine moments
1650. Encouraging words from my husband
1651. Softly falling snow this morning
1652. Tea with a friend
1653. Encouraging words
1654. Good nights rest
1655. Elmo
1656. Sunshine through my window
1657. Firewood from a friend of ours
1658. Matt got his car all fixed
1659. Beautiful dusting of snow this morning



1660. Knitting
1661. Sharing God's love with a neighbour lady
1662. Beautiful candle light service



1663. Laughter with my husband
1664. Murphy's getting more comfortable being inside
1665. Inspiration
1666. Things accomplished
1667. Help from my husband
1668. Matt's car passed it's safety
1669. Sunlight breaking through the clouds
1670. Words of encouragement
1671. Charissa home for the holidays


1672. Early morning walk with a friend - 14 degrees on December 24th
1673. Movement of clouds across the sky on a windy day
1674. Beautiful shades of grey in the clouds
1675. A beautiful tree picked out by Charissa and her dad
1676. Baking with Charissa
1677. Laughter with Charissa, Kayla and Sarah
1678. Chasing the full moon with Charissa



1679. A pastor who wants to see people come alive into all that God has for them
1680. The story of Simeon and Anna



1681. Beautiful Christmas Eve service 
1682. Fancy chocolate from Charissa



1683. New Study Bible from my husband
1684. Walk in the Frink Centre with Charissa
1685. Card game with everyone
1686. All the kids home for Christmas




Four more months and we get to meet our grandchild!

1687. Meeting Aliyah Dan's daughter
1688. Hearing the girls chatter as I lie in bed, makes me smile
1689. Vandenberg christmas...the blessing of family
1690. Delicious christmas dinner
1691. Family walk in the Frink Centre



1692. Gifts from the kids



1693. Cousins together
1694. A table full of adults and kids colouring


1695. Sunday morning breakfast together
1696. Annual cousins sleepover


1697. A game of spoons
1698. First big snow of the winter





1699. My husband's help in the kitchen
1700. Aliyah's joy in playing the piano
1701. Games together



1702. Teaching Aliyah some piano
1703. Knitting, a relaxing hobby
1704. A ride on Tank for Aliyah





1705. David's Movie Night tea from Sarah
1706. Watching old home videos of when the kids were little
1707. Family breakfast
1708. Beautiful clouds and light in the afternoon sky
1709. Good flight home for Jocelyne, Dan and Aliyah
1710. Powerful New Years Eve service
1711. New life
1712. God's love never changes
1713. Encouraging words
1714. The start of a new year
1715. A game of Ticket to Ride with Charissa, Sarah and my husband
1716. Cousins hanging out
1717. Faith
1718. Charissa and her dad out getting firewood
1719. Matt back from his winter camping trip
1720. Dinner and conversation with friends
1721. Frink Centre walk 





  




1722. The blessing of children
1723. Hugs from Molly and Lola and a big grin from Silas
1724. Quiet afternoon with my husband
1725. Stars in the early morning sky
1726. Refreshing winter morning
1727. Chocolate :-)

1 comment:

  1. Lovely family time yall had! The pics are wonderful. Bet you're knitting baby blankets! Stay warm!

    ReplyDelete