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Give thanks to the LORD

and proclaim His greatness. 

Let the whole world know what He has done. 

I Chronicles 16:8

I met, just the other day, with a young woman to hear her story. We lingered over a late breakfast, sipping tea and nibbling sweet potato home-fries.

How do you share a lifetime in an hour?

How could I listen to without weeping?

And yet she did and I didn’t. I held back those tears until this morning. Now, in the dark, with my Bible open and my teapot steaming, my heart won’t stop the flow of tears.

Why does so much pain happen?

And I don’t know the answer, not really. I just know that it does. People choose and their choices hurt innocent little red-headed girls.

But something happened as we sat across from each other in that little breakfast place not far from here. Something powerful, something… wise.

As this woman shared her story-full-of-awfulness, she just refused to give in to pity. Instead, she wove hope throughout each chapter, noticing God’s goodness and His people’s beauty towards her just when she needed it.

Hers was not that annoyingly fake kind of “God is good” parroting of what no one believes— but a wide-eyed discovery that, indeed, God showed Himself good in the midst of terrible bad.

And I think that’s why I didn’t break down and choke on the tears pushing behind my eyes… because she wouldn’t let me.

Her hope was contagious—her deep down belief that God stood with her every hurtful moment of her the-way-it-shouldn’t-be story.

That is how I want to live my days…

Overflowing with hope,

caught up in God’s goodness,

choosing to sparkle with the joy of His care for me in spite of—

well, in spite of the bumping and bruising and unavoidable badness that happens some days.

From my heart,

Diane

Do you have a story you can tell us? Maybe let this corner of the world know about His goodness to you?

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I love to read. I mean I really LOVE to read! 

I’d rather have books than new clothes…

I’d rather have books than fancy vacations…

I’d rather have books than… well, most anything.

My idea of an ideal day is the freedom to curl up somewhere quiet, “unplug” (aka take my cochlear off so I can relish uninterrupted silence), and crack open a new book.

And so I thought I’d tell you about some of the books I’m reading as well as alert you to a few I’ve read and loved. Just in case you love to read too and need a few to add to your stack or think you’d really like to learn to love to read but can only remember those boring text book pages you had to slog through in school.

So… today’s book:

1000 Gifts

by Ann Voskamp

Beautiful, moving, poetic, raw, thought-provoking, stirring, convicting, uplifting, life changing… need I say more? 

This is my top of the year pick… maybe my top of the decade choice.

In her own words, this is “not an easy read”.

Ann Voskamp champions the art of a grateful spirit, challenging us to join her in counting the every day gifts God showers onto our lives.

She tackles topics that women rarely talk about, just splashes truth right out front and let’s us hurt with her.

She weaves stories with poetry and leads her readers just a little deeper than most modern authors go.

And then she brings us back into her kitchen and let’s us wash dishes with her as she moans her piles of dirty laundry.

This is a book I will read over and over again. And every time I do, I’ll step a little closer to that circle of Shalom my soul craves.

I’ll remember that truth that I sometimes forget... that God is good and He’s good to me and the giving of thanks weaves His beauty down deep into the fiber of my heart.

If you’ve read it and love it to, will you leave a comment? All you Ann Voskamp fans! And if you’ve never delved into her blog, go to www.aholyexperience.com

From my heart,

Diane