366 Pieces of Pure Gold

And just like that … it’s 2020!

Following closely on the heels of the sweet busyness and sacred celebration of December … comes a brand new year!

A new beginning … a chance to start over … 366 fresh new pages of life to write with the pen of joy! 

“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” – C. S. Lewis

What would your response be if someone handed you 366 pieces of pure gold?

Would you gasp in awe and wonder?

Would you fall to your face in gratitude?

Would you think of all of the ways you were going to spend this extravagant gift?

My friend, you have been given 366 pieces in 2020 of pure gold known as “days”.

I hope that you will gasp in awe and wonder as you contemplate what a rich endowment this is!

I hope that you will fall to your face in gratitude to the One who has given it to you! 

I hope that you will prayerfully plan how you will spend the glory of each day in 2020.

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we have left behind.” – C. S. Lewis

Let me explain to you in a practical sense the type of living I am talking about: 

Rather than dread the dark doldrums that winter inevitably brings … celebrate these days as an opportunity to read a few good books … have coffee with a friend or two … spend time in prayer for your family … or even clean out a closet!

Instead of expressing aversion to the monotony of working in a boring office where simply no one gets along … view it as your mission field. You are God’s light where you work! You have been selected by the Father to bring His hope … His joy … and His peace … to the tension of your work environment. And … you are getting PAID to do it! You got the job!

In lieu of persistently ignoring that trouble-maker at church … or your obnoxious sister-in-law … or that neighbor who gossips non-stop … ask for the Father to help you love difficult people in the same way that He does. Fractious people present the opportunity to grow in Christ-like behavior and to strengthen that weak muscle of unconditional love. You get to love just like Jesus! What a monumental opportunity!

And let me just add one more thought … there is no such thing as a boring, uneventful day when you know Jesus! 

Every day of 2020 has the possibility of being the very best day of your life!

Pray for divine appointments and for heavenly assignments.

Open your eyes to the glory and to the wonder that life on earth offers.

Clap for a sunset! Give the Creator a standing ovation for all that He has created! 

Shout it out, “God! You are greatly to be praised in all seasons of life!”

Drink deeply of the crisp air of winter. 

Pick the first flower of springtime. 

Hand out popsicles to the neighborhood children on a hot summer afternoon.

Take a walk through the falling leaves of autumn and pray for the people whom you hold dear.

Look for the fingerprint of God on every ordinary day. 

“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet!” – Anne of Green Gables

Don’t walk through life blinded by discouragement … by disinterest … or by lack of vision. God is with you! He is moving mountains for you … and parting seas on your behalf … and bringing dead dreams back to life again! What a wonderful life you have been given!

Sing with children … and with birds … and in the shower. Refuse to allow boredom … or disappointment … or human pain … to deny you of your ability to sing! Sing louder than your circumstances!

Live a life of no regrets. Your life is speeding by more quickly than you dreamed possible … so linger over the joy of each day and discover the glory hidden in each moment.

Your life should be a “Regret-Free Zone”!

Be more enthusiastic than is acceptable … be kinder than anyone else of your generation … and laugh louder than anyone in the room!

When you lay your head on the pillow at night, quietly thank God for the day you have been given … and then leave that day in His hands.

When you wake up in the morning, know that today will be infinitely finer and richer than yesterday because your Father is the richest … the kindest … and the most creative Father in all of recorded history!

What the new year brings to you may depend upon what you bring to the new year! 

Thanks for listening to my heart this week.  As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me.  And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!