I am grateful for a “new” devotion book that my Dad left for me yesterday. Thank you, Dad – you know I will read it every day!

I am grateful for a new addition to our yard, made by Sam on Saturday afternoon.  We haven’t decided on a name for him, but his possibilities are Woodrow, Woody, Bradley, and Bradford. This little guy makes me smile.

I am grateful for a full weekend of family, friends and Christmas music. I needed this full weekend to stay occupied, focusing on the blessings in my life rather than the difficulties.

I am grateful for a new little baby girl that has entered the world. I hope to meet her someday.

I am grateful for an email from Colin, a former student and a good friend.

I am grateful for a new recipe for chicken tortilla soup that is now my favorite soup…well, right behind Central Christian’s chicken noodles over mashed potatoes.

 Chicken Tortilla Soup with Black Bean Salsa

I am grateful for game time with Rachel, JP, and Angela.

I am grateful for the smell of a Pickwick candle – Joyeux Noel scent.

I am grateful for time to take a nap in front of the fireplace yesterday afternoon.

And I am grateful for my church devotion this morning that seems to be just for me today:

There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens:
² a time for giving birth and a time for dying, 
³ a time for killing and a time for healing, a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
⁴ a time for crying and a time for laughing, a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
⁵ a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones, a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
⁶ a time for searching and a time for losing, a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
⁷ a time for tearing and a time for repairing, a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
⁸ a time for loving and a time for hating, a time for war and a time for peace.
⁹ What do workers gain from all their hard work? ¹⁰ I have observed the task that God has given human beings. ¹¹ God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

George Bailey contrasted his father’s life and “wealth” with Mr. Potter’s, saying, “Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!” Potter was wealthy, but he attained his wealth at the expense of others. George’s father and George lived lives full of ups and downs, helping and serving others. When we view life in the light of eternity, George was right. Ecclesiastes said thousands of years ago that God has “placed eternity” in human hearts, that God means for us to live in the light of eternity.

• Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 used 14 pairs of contrasts. The number seven often meant completeness to ancient Hebrews, so the double use of the number signified totality. The message was that none of the seasons of our life is beyond the reach of God’s mission to restore our broken world to wholeness. What season(s) of life are you in today? What good or bad characteristics does your current season hold? Are you able to trust that God is at work in every season of your life, including this one?
  
• Verse 11 said, “God has placed eternity” in our hearts. An eternal perspective on life offers hope. But though God has placed eternity in our hearts, God has not revealed all the answers to life’s questions. We need faith to choose to believe even without all the answers that God’s eternal plan is good. Do you find an eternal perspective encouraging, or do you find it frustrating that you can’t know everything about your future? Bring your hopes, fears, thoughts, and even frustrations to God in prayer.

I am taking care of you. Feel the warmth and security of being enveloped in My loving Presence. Every detail of your life is under My control. Moreover, everything fits into a pattern for good, to those who love Me and are called according to My design and purpose.

Because the world is in an abnormal, fallen condition, people tend to think that chance governs the universe. Events may seem to occur randomly, with little or no meaning. People who view the world this way have overlooked one basic fact: the limitations of human understanding. What you know of the world you inhabit is only the tip of the iceberg. Submerged beneath the surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast for you to comprehend. If you could only see how close I am to you and how constantly I work on your behalf, you would never again doubt that I am wonderfully caring for you. This is why you must live by faith, not by sight; trusting in My mysterious, majestic Presence.

Father, thank you for promising to be with me through all of life’s ups and downs. Amen.