My mom and dad have had birthday lunches with a group of friends for years. One of the ladies was hospitalized not too long ago with pneumonia and went through rehab. And she was present at the birthday lunch get together today. It was good to see that she was recovered and doing well.
I Found God today in the recovery of a friend.
Aristotle’s philosophy of friendship consisted of 3 kinds of relationships; Utility in which you are friendly to a person while they are fulfilling your need, Pleasure in which you are in a relationship as long as the other is giving you pleasure, and Virtue. The first two descriptions are a selfish kind of relationship. But the third is a love for another because of their sake – one wishes the good for the other. In my Bible class tonight, we read about the relationship between Jonathan and David. They had this virtuous kind of friendship so much so that they made a covenant – a pact – with one another to always be watching out for each other. Jonathan even went as far as to resign his kingly inheritance to David. He recognized that David would be the new king and wanted the good for him. I thought about the handful of relationships I have that fit into the virtue category and am so grateful for them.
I Found God today in an example of a virtuous friendship.
My sister who lives on a farm got new baby chicks the other day, so my parents and I made a trip up there today. We remembered how fast the last batch of chicks grew and we really wanted to see them at this age. They were so cute and fuzzy and fun to watch. One of them was fascinated with my sister and kept going over to her and stretching up to peek at her through the openings in the brooder. She must know who to go to for mothering. My sister does it all for them. She taught them individually how to drink from the water container, grinds their food to the appropriate consistency, and even cleans their chicken butts. The chicks were adorable and my sister was too.
I Found God today in new little creatures and my sister’s care for them.
Today I was surprised to receive a card in the mail from my aunt. The message inside included a quote from Philippians 4:19 “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need.” It was a beautiful, encouraging, thoughtful note that was much appreciated.
I Found God today in a surprise encouraging note.
A friend has been working for years taking courses while raising her 2 young men without her husband who tragically died too young. All the while she has worked at least one job. She just completed her final paper and will earn her degree in theology. Since I met her and learned her story, she has been an encouragement. Today I read a reflection from Matthew Kelly that started, “Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can…” This woman is a beautiful example of the quote. She keeps on doing what she can do every day for herself, her children, those she teaches, and the church. She is an inspiration.
I Found God today in an inspiring woman.
A friend came over and had dinner with us tonight. We just laughed and laughed – so much that we cried, blew our noses, and our sides hurt. I’m laughing right now just thinking about it. It was therapeutic for us both. I am so grateful for this friendship and the laughter it brings.
I Found God today in laughter.
A friend gave me a devotion today that she had copied from one of her books. It was in reference to Isaiah 5:1-7, regarding the Song of the Vineyard. In the passage, the author laments the fact that he has tended to his vineyard, yet it produced sour grapes. He is comparing the vineyard to Israel and his futile attempts to encourage the people to turn back to God. However, God will prune us as people in order that we may produce abundant fruit. The devotion ends with, “Rest in His care today. Trust Him…He’s even more committed to your abundance than you are.” It was thoughtful for her to share the beautiful message and reminder of God’s everlasting grace.
I Found God today in a thoughtful friend.
Today some photos from 5 years ago popped up on my phone. The pictures were of my old house covered in snow with a freshly cleaned driveway. That was a particularly snowy year and I remembered spending a lot of time shoveling out my tiny entry way to keep it from being completely enclosed. It snowed here in my new home last night, so I made my way out to shovel. There was barely an inch of the fluffy white stuff on the sidewalk and in the drive. Even though it was a balmy 12 degrees, it was refreshing to spend the time outside pushing the shovel around for a while. As I remembered the seemingly never-ending shoveling 5 years ago, I was grateful that where I live now, the place will be cleared if there is at least 3 inches of snow.
I Found God today being grateful for my current residence.
My dad has been working on putting together a genealogy scrapbook of the most pertinent information. For over a year now, he has been sorting out and scanning pictures, newspaper articles, memorabilia, and information from assorted sources. Whenever my sister the creative artist comes to visit, they spent time working on it. Today, they finally finished the book. It is a beautiful piece of work with some original photos and keepsakes that are over 100 years old. The book illustrates the family tree and tells the story of how the family moved West. We went through it a couple of times and my dad showed it to my brothers on facetime. This scrapbook will be a family heirloom for generations.
I Found God today as my dad traced and recorded our family history.
I got a message from a friend who shared a memory of us working together several years ago. She was copying valentines to hand out to those who taught religious education. The hearts included the verse of John 3:16 with the words lined up just so to spell VALENTINE. I remembered it then too along with several other memories and it warmed my heart.
I Found God today remembering working with a friend.
Still Finding God 