Those days. It's one of those days. When your spirit feels trapped under ten tons of bricks. And the off-white, blurry sky casting a dismal glow all around matches the state of your heart.
I am walking down the street and an obnoxious blue bus barrels by belting large puffs of smoke. In an instant I am enveloped by the familiar insidious smell of dirty, old, gasoline and my heart lurches back to memories of home. I am watching my second-born and the thoughtful, austere look on her face. For a moment I glimpse my dear grandmother. I am walking home in the dark. The muggy air fills my nostrils as a car horn blares nearby. I take in the dim lights flickering in the periphery making the shadowy shapes of Quito look like Manila.
Small moments. That's all they were at first. A facial expression, an overpowering smell, an ordinary sound that takes me back so clearly to bits and pieces of home. Widening the ever-present longing in my heart for time spent with my family.
I am walking down the street and an obnoxious blue bus barrels by belting large puffs of smoke. In an instant I am enveloped by the familiar insidious smell of dirty, old, gasoline and my heart lurches back to memories of home. I am watching my second-born and the thoughtful, austere look on her face. For a moment I glimpse my dear grandmother. I am walking home in the dark. The muggy air fills my nostrils as a car horn blares nearby. I take in the dim lights flickering in the periphery making the shadowy shapes of Quito look like Manila.
Small moments. That's all they were at first. A facial expression, an overpowering smell, an ordinary sound that takes me back so clearly to bits and pieces of home. Widening the ever-present longing in my heart for time spent with my family.
Today I acknowledge and embrace this ache. And today I am giving thanks. I am thanking God for these things in life that keep me vulnerable and broken. For things that compel me to lean into Him and cling to this verse: "I lift my eyes to the mountains--Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth," (Psalm 121:1-2).
What challenges are you facing today? What treasures can you find hidden in these trying times? They are there if you look hard enough. Find them and give thanks.
What challenges are you facing today? What treasures can you find hidden in these trying times? They are there if you look hard enough. Find them and give thanks.
Day 5 of Cultivating joy through 20 days of gratefulness.