Colossians 3:12-14 – Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony.

Gratitude Day 838

See that blob of grey in the photo at the beginning of this post?

I know. It doesn’t look very pretty. It doesn’t look very smart. No matter how I took the photo, it was going to look like this. It’s just how it is.

But if you could step into my bathroom, you would find yourself standing on the most squishy, soft, and oh-so-good-on-your feet bathroom rug. Seriously. My feet sing, “Hallelujah!” when they get the great honor of being on top of those blobs of grey. There are just enough different textures that make the bottoms of your feet want to stand and have a minute of rest and relaxation.

When Hubby Rick and I moved to our current home, I left behind this gorgeous, beautiful bathroom behind. Hubby Rick spent the better part of a winter getting every detail just right. The tile. New plumbing. Figuring out how to install the glass door that I knew would turn the bathroom into an almost-like-a-spa experience.

And then we moved. There were only two things I took with me from this bathroom (minus the bathroomy stuff.) The lamper and this rug. The rest stayed behind for the next family to enjoy.

In our current house, we have a little ensuite off of the primary bedroom. It’s postage-stamp size but it’s a bathroom. We painted it. Hubby Rick installed a new light, new plumbing fixtures, a new mirror and a wall cabinet. A vanity update will happen at some point. For now, I overlook it when I feel that comfy rug underneath my feet.

Then, yesterday happened. I remembered why I only wash this rug when I actually see the dirt and grime. Because when I wash it, this happens.

See those little black threads? They are not as well-attached as you might think. Every time the rug goes through the wash, I find black threads everywhere. The washing machine. The dryer and everything else in the dryer. (I dry this rug all by itself. Fewer black threads everywhere.) Black threads stick to the dryer balls, fall out of the dryer tub and stick all over the floor. For the next week, I will find black threads throughout the house. On the stairs, the floor, the carpet. Just about the time I think they are cornered, a new one pops up.

It’s the price I pay for having this rug that makes my feet feel special.

Maybe, just maybe, those little threads can be more than a slight annoyance in my life. Maybe they can help me see that I scatter all kinds of little “threads” wherever I go. I can leave behind all kinds of goodness: an encouraging hug. A squeeze of the hand. A word of comfort or a listening ear. An unexpected surprise or an at-the-moment-encouragement that can spur someone forward. These little threads do not have to be big or earth-shattering. They can be tiny. Small. Timely. There is no doubt that these little threads can be significant. Impactful. Down-right life changing.

Yet, these threads can also be a strong negative in our world just as much as they can be a positive. The wrong snarky comment at the inappropriate time? Ouch. The lack of respect for someone. Hurtful. Our choice not to help someone when clearly, we have the opportunity? Selfish.

We leave wakes of threads in what we say and do not say. Where we help and where we withhold. How we support someone or expect it to be someone else’s “job.” Those threads can be a positive in our own and others lives. Or they can simply be an annoyance.

Does this mean we unconditionally give and give and give? Do we not ever have boundaries? Of course not. But it also encourages me to seek God’s will for my life. What I do and say. How I interact with other people. Where I can add blessing and hope rather than hurt and pain.

There are some threads that we can do every day with little thought and effort. We can be kind. Gracious. Appreciative. Feel blessed. These attributes cost virtually nothing. But when they are withheld? Those around us will sense a different vibe from us. When we choose to live with the great values of compassion, kindness, gentleness, mercy and forgiveness, then our threads become extensions of God’s love to those around us. We become people who celebrate the opportunities to quietly witness the love we have felt from God with others.

Love. There is such a need for unbridled, unconditional love in our world. Right now. Right here. Today. Tomorrow. Every day.

Will we be the ones who will pick up the torch that has been carried by so many others in the Christian faith and choose to bear unconditional love to those around us? Without ceasing? With ease and dedication? With optimism and grace?

I do not have to have a beautiful bathroom to love and appreciate others. A squishy, comfortable rug in my bathroom only affects me. But the threads that get left behind when it is washed? Now, this IS something that I can latch onto and commit to making a difference. We all make this choice. Every day. Every opportunity. Can we commit to leave as many great threads as we possibly can this weekend? Throughout the upcoming week? Every opportunity that we have?

Here are a few other things that I pray will inspire you this weekend.

As a person who has two boxes full of annuals sitting outside waiting to be put into pots, this photo inspires me to just get them done. Hopefully today before we attend our granddaughter’s dance recital. Yep, that is today.

She turned 4 last weekend. Such. A. Fun. Age.

Can I please have a wall like this in my house? Pretty-please?

If you want something that will make you smile all day, please watch this video. I’m still smiling after watching it more than once. Yah think these people are leaving behind a few beautiful threads of happiness in their lives and the lives of others?

Here’s one last picture. Taken at a nephew’s wedding we attended last weekend. Honestly, this is the only photo of just Hubby Rick and me. Why should I ever expect that we could have a normal, everyday photo taken?

I know. Too high of expectations. These are the kinds of threads Hubby Rick spreads all over. Every day. And yes, they make me smile.

Have a great weekend. Leave some beautiful, wonderful, special threads all over your world and the world of others.

For the encouragement to leave a wake of special threads wherever I go this weekend, I am very grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Loving God – I think of all the special, beautiful and meaningful threads that Jesus left with those he encountered, and I am amazed. Thanks for all the meaningful lessons and stories which we still have today that can inspire me to be just as gracious, kind, caring, generous, forgiving and loving. May these be the wake of threads I leave behind. Amen.

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