day four: gifts GATHERED, GIVEN, GOOD.

1. gifts GATHERED:

I love laundry.  I know that's super weird but I do.  It's probably because I rarely get overwhelmed that it's never finished.  And because most days I don't have a problem with piles of dirty and clean loads of laundry all over the place. Ask my friends, they will verify this statement.

I also had the privilege of being a Work Crew boss at Crooked Creek Ranch in Colorado one summer many moons ago.  I worked with four high school girls every day for three weeks doing one thing.  Laundry.  And y'all, it was wonderful.  The simplicity of it.  The repetition.  The art of folding.  The beauty of seeing dirty things become clean.  The laundry detergent. The warmth of towels and sheets straight out of the dryer.  And that's not even mentioning the joy of digging deep into four high school girls' lives and running hard after Jesus together.  One of those girls is still a dear friend and I am so grateful for those three weeks spent together.  (Love you, Bee. :)) It was a taste of heaven.

And so today as I GATHERED the dirty laundry of the three people I love the most and sprayed Shout on peanut butter stains and diaper blow outs and folded all of the pinks and pastels of my girls' laundry I was thankful.  For clothing.  For my family who wears these clothes.  For All Free & Clear detergent pods and Downy dryer sheets.  

 

(Can you see the pride in Haddie's face about the spit up she blessed me with there? :))

But mostly, as I gathered up our laundry, I am thankful for my Savior who tells me in Matthew 6:28-29: "Why do you worry about clothes? See how the lillies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

2. gifts GIVEN:

"See also that you excel in this GRACE OF GIVING." 

2 Corinthians 8:7

Apparently this month is pastor appreciation month (I LOVE that that exists!) and DANG we feel appreciated.  Hope Creek blessed and surprised us with this gift on Sunday morning and it's been sitting on a dresser in the living room since then and every time I walk past I want to squeal thinking about the day we get to use this!

3. gifts GOOD:

About every other week, when we can work it into the grocery budget, we have steak.  Not because we're big steak people but because this marinade is PHENOMENAL.  And easy.  Karis and Haddie and I did hopscotch in the front yard while Brett grilled the steak in the backyard and I could smell it and thought of Psalm 34:8 yet again: "Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD."

Tomorrow...3 gifts acorn-small.