A life of verbs

Quick! Come and join me and let us escape the hustle and bustle of life. I have stolen a few minutes from my day to press these keys once more and type. Life goes from one thing to the next and kind of blurs into one long schedule.

Today, I got joy from hanging up some washing. I know – life is great, right? For the first time I looked at a photograph Joel had put in a frame years ago (probably before we even met). I’d never really taken much notice of it before, but there it was. A picture of blades of grass and wild flowers with a beautiful blue sky and towering, white, fluffy clouds rolling in the sky (note: this is not the photo below!). Maybe it’s because I live in England and I am so used to grey clouds and rain, that this picture took me to some blissful, other reality. However, I think it was because I could be still and just enjoy that moment.

I rolled out of bed in a state of overwhelm and self-pity first thing this morning. I felt like everything was getting a little much. I was tired. I cried. The week has been busy.

Hanging up wet socks shouldn’t give me joy, should it? Yet, it did. Having some time this afternoon to not feel like I had to be doing something, going somewhere, rushing from one thing to the next was just what I needed to console the weary heart. Doing. Going. Rushing. Welcome to my life of verbs. Always thinking about the next thing and never resting in the present moment. 

It’s important to chill. To switch off. That includes our phones!

Recently, I have become less interested in social media. Shock horror. I used to spend so much time flicking through Facebook, soaking up the edited lives of my friends, rather than actually living my own.

Living. 

It’s another verb.

Life should be lived. It’s life for goodness sake! What an amazing gift.

Getting to wake up each morning, breathe in a new day and give thanks for this life I have – that is pretty amazing. Tearing my eyes off of social media so I can actually have some time away from my phone to enjoy my life – soaking up the beauty of what is around me already. There is no need to compare my life with the digital memoirs of others because my life is full of moments of grace. Beautiful grace.

Laundry is grace. My home is grace. The air I breathe is grace. The new life I have because Christ took my place – grace.

Grace. It is undeserved. There is nothing we can do to earn it. Hallelujah! God gives His grace to us all freely. Grace is a gift. Life is a gift.

May God who gives life breathe new life into your heart and may you experience His grace afresh today.