oday is a cool day—the temperature is hovering barely above 70 degrees. The gentle breezes would likely cause me to shiver were it not for the supple warming rays of the spring sun caressing my skin as I sit and write these thoughts.
Soft, fluffy white clouds slowly meander across the sky, past the trees and across the mountain tops behind our house. I’m sitting on our side porch, cooking a roast in our wood smoker grill. The beauty of this day brings our great and glorious God praise. And so I write this tribute.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As I ponder—and write—my son is playing soccer in the back yard. His sporting cries are happy sounds. These sounds fill my heart with joy. Not every day is like today, but every day has its own troubles, its own lessons, its own beauty. Perhaps it is our perspective on these things that organizes their priority in our minds.
Today is a day to be savored.
It is quiet here on the porch. The gentle spring breezes rise and swell and then fall off to rise again a moment later. The repetitive ebb and flow of the breeze reminds me of waves lapping the shore of a peaceful beach. The now fully-mature leaves on the trees rustle with each swell. The white noise of those leaves interacting with the wind covers the sound of the distant highway. Birds sing in the trees and from time to time they swoop lazily across the back yard sky.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
No cars are traveling the local streets. All sounds reaching my ears are part of the immense orchestration God wrote for this day. This orchestral piece will never be played again—and it has never been played before. But it is being played to perfection under the hand of the loving and gracious Conductor. The orchestra has not missed a note, and I am witness to this once-in-a-lifetime performance.
Thank you, God, for this glorious day. You are amazing!
Wow, Rich, I really enjoyed that post! Yesterday was beautiful here, too. Not too hot, in fact, a little chilly. But we enjoyed a day of grilled burgers, family bikeride, and a campfire, where we sat around and told stories. Very relaxing day, actually.
ReplyDeleteI agree about yesterday - there was something unique about it in its happy peacefulness. It was cool and amazingly sunny here as well. I thought of the day as a precious respite.
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