Rejoicing over a little thing

Both Anne and Jase entered looking expectantly at me.

That expression which hovers between anticipation and “knowing something she doesn’t know” was all over them.

I looked up and raised my eyebrows.

“Yes?”

“Jase found something!” Anne’s voice was full of pleasure.

I looked at him.

“Here!” He reached out and placed a brand new egg in my hands.

All three of us cheered like our team won a State title!

I took a picture of it and texted my husband.

With the tag line: “Jesus heard you, yesterday.”

(For just last night, as he was helping me shut up the coop, he stated he was getting a bit weary of waiting for our chickens to start laying.)

My husband responded to my text with joyful comments and questions as to when and where it was discovered.

His last text read: “So funny I could be so happy about an egg!”

Which were my exact words to our oldest daughter, when I related the occasion over the phone.

Yet, why shouldn’t we be excited?

What’s wrong with rejoicing over the gift of our chickens and the egg?

Yes, it’s a little thing, but God gave us this little thing.

I think it’s right to thank Him for it, and be excited about it.

For if we wait to praise Him for only the big things will we ever?

Is it not in life’s little things, the day-to-day blessings, where we get a much clearer understanding of the goodness of God and His continual care?

Thus, I expect to praise God for eggs, chickens, veggies from the garden, rabbits, sheep, goats, sunsets, family, friends, flowers, good books, home cooked food, warm blankets, clothes, the beauty around us,…for all these good things are gifts from Him.

And His faithfulness and love are worth recognizing and rejoicing over.

Psalm 55:22 KJV — Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

He has definitely been sustaining us.

And I’m so thankful.

Praise the Lord!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for this gift of an egg. We are so blessed to be able to see the outcome of our toil in this tiny package. Lord, thank You for the joy we experienced, just in a small thing. Please help us never to grow callous to Your blessings nor forgetful of Your faithfulness. Lord, You sustain us daily, just the beating of our hearts and the breath in our lungs is testimony to Your gifts. Lord, please continue to show us how to rejoice over the small things. How to find peace through Your promises. How to rest in Your salvation and yet still be diligent servants, faithful in the tasks at hand. Lord, I praise Your holy name! Thank You! Amen.

November 23

Today’s prayer:

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13 NKJV

James 1:17 KJV — Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for all Your gifts. Lord, thank You for daily miracles and blessings. Lord Jesus, You taught us that good gifts are from You and we should be seeking the Kingdom of Heaven, requesting Your presence in our lives with persistence. Lord, it is easy to become sidetracked by the cares of this world, to be distracted by the demands of living. Lord, I confess my struggles with fear this morning and thank You for overcoming every evil. Lord, thank You that I need not fear anything or anyone, just You and You reassure me of Your love every day. Lord, please help our family to know what Your will is for us daily. Thank You. Lord, I lift up those who are in great need, those who are without hope, please touch each one and supply all that is lacking. Lord, please protect the innocent and the helpless. Please heal the sick. Lord, free the captive and remove the wicked. Let the world see truth clearly and be no longer blinded by the lusts of the flesh nor by the lies of the enemy. Please show people what walking in their own way truly brings. Lord, please return the prodigal and save the lost. Lord, for those who are called by Your name, let them not waste their time in idle pursuits nor walk in their own ideas, but rather let each one be humble, a servant before You looking to Your guidance each day. Lord, help us to bring glory to Your name and not to glory in anything but You and Your salvation. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

The kindness of a stranger

It was later in the evening when my husband looked at me and said,

“Let’s go buy the babies a kiddy pool.”

The day had been warm and their little faces had been rosey when he arrived home from work.

He wasn’t wanting them to have another warm afternoon without the opportunity to cool off.

I agreed and we drove to where we thought we might find a kiddy pool.

It was after 7pm so some stores were already closed.

Home Depot was open and although they didn’t have kiddy pools there were some other items we needed.

I’ve been planning to paint furniture and needed paint.

As the paint was finished, my husband was concerned if I’d like the color and showed it to me.

I signed that I had a good feeling about it, I liked it. (My voice had disappeared during our walk around the store.)

He placed it in the cart and began to move toward the check out.

I had noticed another employee looking in my direction previously and had nodded a “hello”.

As I looked up from the cart she was looking at me again.

So, I didn’t look away, nor walk on.

She carefully signed to me a nice greeting and wished me a good day.

I smiled behind my mask and signed back: “Thank you, same to you”.

As I walked after my husband I thought about how this lady’s kindness blessed my heart.

She didn’t have to sign to me, but she did.

She was reaching out to speak to me and it blessed my heart.

I’m not deaf, but when I can’t speak ASL is the easiest way for me to communicate.

When others see this, it’s understandable they assume I’m deaf.

I’ve been truly blessed at different times when people who saw my signing responded with an effort to communicate.

Sometimes it’s by a simple “thank you” in ASL.

Sometimes it’s looking me in the eye or trying to point to things to help me understand.

I praise God for these moments of kindness in others.

I’m so thankful for their efforts.

I often pray for them afterwards.

Because it’s difficult to deal with someone who doesn’t communicate the way you do.

Unfortunately, some people become so uncomfortable, they react in ways which make it more difficult to communicate.

There’s been a few moments in stores when we left feeling very stressed.

But these are rare and God has taught us something each time.

It was a stressful moment several months ago when shopping with my husband that he said, “I have to get better at ASL” and he has been practicing ever since.

Another time Jase and I were shopping together and several unfortunate circumstances caused us a great deal of stress.

Days later we talked about it and both of us were able to see things we should do differently in the future.

Something a young man said to me recently has been the point of truth in this part of our journey.

“Everyone learns at their own speed.”

He was referring to learning ASL, but of course the truth is far more applicable.

For me, I’m not just learning ASL, I’m learning a new way of thinking, along with a new way of communicating.

I’m learning to keep my eyes upon the face of the person I’m dealing with.

Because people often think I’m deaf if I look away they think I no longer care or that I’m not paying them attention.

To look away means “not listening”.

I’m learning to plan ahead.

I’ve been stranded on my own with no one to speak for me and no one who reads ASL, so I carry paper and pencil now.

I’m learning that many people want to communicate and try hard to do so.’m learning to read sign better, which wasn’t something I’d worked on as I was the one signing, my family just speaks back to me.

I’m learning to read sign better, which wasn’t something I’d worked on as I was the one signing, my family just speaks back to me.

A couple of times I couldn’t always understand someone who stopped speaking and only signed.

I’m learning to be patient.

My voice disappearing is a response my body is having to triggers, often fragrance or chemicals in the air.

Sometimes my chest begins to hurt and I find it difficult to think clearly as my body is struggling.

To combat this I have to focus on breathing calmly, walking at a normal pace, and thinking about opening my airways.

Trying to communicate while all this is going on can make me want to rush, to just “be done” and not even try, but that never works and it’s not what Jesus would want me to do.

And if I were to simply “give up” I would miss all these moments of blessing.

For God has something good in all these things and I don’t want to miss a single one.

James 4:6 NKJV — But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your faithfulness! Lord, thank You for Your help, love, and lessons. You have taught me so much and Your blessings have been incredible. Lord Jesus, thank You for walking with me through this. Thank You for walking with our family through this. Thank You for all the people who have tried so hard to reach out to me. Thank You for the kindness of strangers. Lord, please continue to teach me how to live daily unto You. Thank You for all Your wonderous works. I love You. Amen.

P.S. We went to another store and bought the kids a pool. I had to laugh when I woke up to it raining!