Gratitude Day 886

Psalm 136:7: Give thanks to the one who made the great lights— God’s faithful love lasts forever.

Are you a particular person?

By this, I mean, do you like certain things to be done a particular way?

Towels folded one specific way.

Plates loaded in the dishwasher one direction and one direction only.

Homes for certain things in a specific spot so time isn’t wasted looking for keys, bills, or other important things.

There are the people who let things build up on the kitchen island and all socks go into a particular laundry basket where everyone simply sorts through for the socks they want.

I am not one of those people.

My hanging clothes are sorted by color, which makes it easy to find things. I have this unwritten, personal goal to be able to find anything in less than 30 seconds. If I can’t, well, then, I need a different system. Yes, there are certain holiday things that take a bit longer to find. Or sometimes I forget a new and easier system that I put in place, but generally speaking, I am quite particular.

I have favorite pens that I prefer to use. Most papers are kept in carefully labeled folders or three-ring binders. My spices are alphabetized. (Yes, I know. But truth.)

I am particular about the notebook that I like to use for journaling. It’s available at a specific store chain. When I am there, I often wonder back to this section of store just to see if they have any of these journals in stock. The specific color and what is on the cover doesn’t matter nearly as much. It’s the type of paper, the cover stock and the size that I like.

I have a stash of these used journals with different color covers: black, brown, a pretty lighter blue. The message on the covers also varies. Sometimes it’s an inspirational message. Other times, they are very generic.

The journal that I am using right now is pretty light blue. When I started using the journal, I noticed these words on the cover, “Made to Last.” Each day as I pull this journal out and open it to the next page that I will use, I think of those words: made to last.

Can a journal last forever? Well, it depends. If it stays dry and doesn’t get wet, mice or some other varmints never get access, if it doesn’t accidentally get destroyed, it can last for a long time. If we aren’t careful, it won’t.

Think of the things that we’d like to think are “made to last:”

• Relationships
• Retirement funds, until we need them
• Consistency, in knowing that certain things happen at certain times of the year

But in reality, even these things may not be “made to last.” Divorces happen. People become estranged. There are dips and rises in the stock market. And yes, even holidays and plans are affected by weather, war, sickness and things out of our control.

In reality, there are very few things in our lives that are made to last forever.

• Food is prepared to be eaten.
• Gardens and crops are planted and harvested knowing the produce doesn’t last forever.
• We grow up and grow old. Our bodies change, our hair gets grey, our abilities to do certain things changes, whether we like it or not.
• People change schools, athletic teams, churches, houses, companies they work with and jobs.
• Modern styles change, and we may switch out things in our homes, our closets, the vehicles we drive.

Some people deal with change okay. Others? Not so much. They prefer things to stay predictable, the same and repetitive.

But this isn’t life.

This is why having some predictable things in our lives feels so good. Helpful. Necessary. When certain things in our lives are fairly consistent, then when other things change, we can feel grounded in something. We have those safe places we can return to and find consistency and reliability. Even if things aren’t made to last forever, we yearn for certain things to be somewhat predictable and regular because, well, it helps make life a bit more manageable.

Even when it doesn’t feel like it is.

What things do I hope are “made to last” in my life?

Most importantly: my faith. My faith in a God that is bigger than me, knows more than I do and can work through all that is happening in my life and the world and keep the balls in the air. Faith assures me that God is “made to last” even when the world around me is full of seemingly crazy things and people that don’t make sense. God’s commitment to be available to me and everyone else as we struggle through suffering and pain doesn’t remove it all but helps me know I don’t have to do it alone. Because God is “made to last,” I am assured and know that God will always, always, always be there, even when others disappointment and I let myself down.

Dear Friends – sometimes, it’s hard to find those predictable things in our lives. If you yearn for something consistent and dependable, I encourage you to allow faith an opportunity to become something “made to last” in your life. Faith in God doesn’t mean the difficulties of life will simply disappear and go away. This is not how faith works. But with God by your side, you will have someone who will journey with you through the most difficult moments of your life. God will also be there to celebrate every little victory that is important to you.

In a world that is filled with so many disposable things, we all need something that is “made to last.” We need predictability, consistency, reliability. We all need God’s loving grace and presence in our lives.

Blessings –

Dianne

Most Holy God – the world can often feel too disjointed, challenging and out of sync. Thank goodness You are there to bring some predictability into our lives. May I embrace You as one of those “made to last” parts of my life today. Amen.

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