Recently my husband and I attended a wedding of sweet friends.
Maybe it's just me. But weddings remind me that love still conquers all. You can't help but be a bit heartstruck after witnessing two people completely in love. There wasn't a dry eye in the room as we watched the beautiful emotion of the groom when he saw his bride for the first time. Pure joy.
What ordinary lovely joys are you experiencing this month? Here are all the things I've been ruminating on lately.
Scripture on My Heart...
Jeremiah 29:11
Recently I was at a busy Farmer's Market in Florida. My mind was full of heavy things and burdens, all while rushing and anxiously trying to do all the things. As I stood still for a moment I looked up to see a blazing red food truck with the verse Jeremiah 29:11 staring right at me. This exact verse was one I spent most of the summer marinating in. It felt like God tapping me on the shoulder to say, "Hey, slow it down. I see you in the midst of it all. Even here, I got you. It's going to be okay."
I remember....
Tiny encouragements can be everything to someone. Almost a year ago I invited a stranger to my church after spending time casually chatting over lunch and a beer on a sunny spring day. Time went by. This week I received a thank you text to let me know that simple invite began a journey of healing and transformation for this young lady. You never know how your invitation or your words might encourage someone.
I hope to...
Welcome everything, even the hard stuff. I was listening to The Welcoming Prayer from Father Thomas Keating read by Emily Freeman. The Welcome Prayer invites us to consider welcoming everything as part of our healing. I'm working on this and it's a daily surrender.
I pray...
To rest in what is, not what I want it to be or what the world says looks good. I pray to keep my face on Jesus and to keep looking for him in the midst of it all.
I celebrate...
The marriage of my young friends and the life they begin together.
What about you?
You can find a printable version of these prompts below. Our ordinary lives can be quite lovely when we take the time to notice them. Here's your personal invitation to notice your own February Ordinary Lovely Things.