New Every Morning

I hope I never forget the image of my oldest son bounding down the stairs of the apartment complex with this bouquet of roses.  They were for me.  What a wonderful, thoughtful, sweet, son his father and I have raised.  He has a very special lady in his life and yet he still thought of his momma on Valentine's Day and together they picked out the perfect gift for me, dead flowers.  Yes, I love to get dead flowers!  Totally impractical, which is what makes them such a great expression of love.  Sometimes my family gifts me with a rose bush or some other flowering plant I can add to my garden, but somehow they do not touch my heart in the same way.  Dead flowers; they really do not make much sense as a gift, they last but a few days, whereas the plant will continue to bloom year after year.  And yet they speak volumes to me of a love that is new every morning.  In season and out of season dead flowers bloom.

The cross- it really does not make much sense.  Why would God suffer and die for me?!  I was a stranger, an enemy, someone far away from Him.  And yet He loved me even then.  He had a plan from before the world began that would show me just how much He desires to lavish His love upon me.  Here I sit with knowledge of that love, with all of my sins, past, present, and future forgiven, a place at His side reserved for me in heaven, and yet my love falls short.  He has shown me what love is, that it is often impractical and doesn't make sense.  He asks that I in return love Him with all of my heart and soul and mind and strength, which totally makes sense in light of what He has done for me.  Is it impractical to make time each day to read His Word and pray and listen for His voice?  When so much needs to be done, when so much competes for my time, worthy of it or not, do I have time for the Lord?  Do I make time for the Lord?  Is this where loving Him with all of my heart and soul and mind and strength begins?  

I've been in a dry spell and in my search for why I came to the conclusion that it is just plain laziness.  There are other things I want to get done- and yet everything else seems to be suffering as well.  It makes no sense.  Seek ye first the kingdom of God--perhaps it is not so impractical.  When I rush through my quiet time just to get it done without really taking time to meditate upon His Word, to listen for His voice, to really pray for others rather than just a quick, bless them, heal them; I rob myself of something better.  Something that I need to refresh everyday.  

The thing about those dead flowers: they are beautiful at first but they begin to fade and wilt and soon there is nothing you can do but put them in the compost pile.  God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23)- He has a fresh bouquet for us everyday.  It gives me a  picture of Him bounding down the stairs towards me with a beautiful new bouquet as I come out to meet Him in the morning.  He is delighted to see me, share something new, and remind me that His love never fades and never dies- everyday is a resurrection morning.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb