Half a Glass

  

Psalm 150: 1-2 

 Praise the Lord!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
   Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

     There are two kinds of people in this world: those who see the glass as half empty and those who see it as half full.  In my family we joked that my mom didn’t even see a glass.  Hating the dark days of winter, on the first day of summer she’d say, “Well, the days are going to start getting shorter now.”  Always waiting for the other shoe to drop robbed her of joy she might have felt in the present.   I spent many years as a teacher wielding my red pen and finding all the mistakes.  It would be so easy to follow in my mother’s footsteps, focusing on all the things that have gone wrong in my life, all the times I wasn’t perfect, all the sorrows I’ve faced. 

      Instead, I’ve made a conscious choice to focus on all the ways God has blessed me.  This year I decided that at the end of each day I would record three things for which I am grateful.  Knowing I’m going to do this has made me see the world differently.  I’m more aware, constantly looking for little miracles, evidence of God’s steadfast love.  I give thanks for the beautiful sunrise as the sky streaks from purple to red to gold.  How good that hot running water feels as I take my shower.  On my way to babysit I notice the weeds and brambles that have been transformed into ice-encrusted lacy jewels. I arrive and feel such joy as little Sophie wraps her arms around my neck and says, “I love you, Grammy!”  So many blessings when I’m looking for God’s presence! Praise God!

     Dear Heavenly Father, as we go into holy week, help me to see past the sorrow of crucifixion to the joy of our risen Lord. I praise you for this gift of love. Amen


Merry Hackenberg 

     

     

Comments

  1. Bryan HolmesMarch 28, 2021 at 12:11 PM

    Thanks Merry!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beth ChristianMarch 29, 2021 at 4:48 AM

    Beautiful thinking, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 30, 2021 at 4:27 AM

    Beautifully said. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stephen LewisMarch 31, 2021 at 4:46 AM

    The glass is actually full! The glass is God surrounding us with his love! The water is Jesus who is the living water who washes our sins away! The air is the Holy Spirit. Although unseen it is there to give us Faith to overcome and wisdom to know God’s path for us!

    ReplyDelete

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