Simplicity

   Today is Monday...another week is about to unfold, waiting for us to experience and enjoy. I went home this past weekend to work, so my Grandpa drove me back to school this morning. I was blessed by his good company, conversation, and wisdom. I enjoyed listening to his stories and taking in his insight on different things. What a wonderful blessing family is. You can learn so much from each other and can be such an encouragement to one another as you continue on this journey of life. 
   I'm realizing what a blessing simplicity is. I am the type of person who likes to make plans and have different things going on. I feel like I'm wasting time when I'm not doing something or when I have a day go by where I had nothing planned. However, I'm learning that as much of a blessing as being social and having plans is, it is also just as much of a blessing to slow down and enjoy the simplicity of life- the small things that we usually miss because of the busyness of our lives. Sometimes, it's the small things that can make the biggest impact on us and our lives. 
   God is showing me that I can find joy and peace in these simple things, such as a sunrise. It happens every day, but when we take the time to take in the beauty of it and the fact that God created it, it's not just a sunrise anymore but a reminder of God's presence and power. God's creation is so beautiful and it radiates His beauty and majesty. A blanket of freshly fallen snow, the calmness after a violent storm, or a person's smile as you walk by them, all these things happen often but when do we stop to appreciate them as the gifts God intended them to be to us, to remind us that He is the creator of all things?

   The picture above is the background on my computer. I have to use my computer for school work every day and it is a constant reminder to me to seek God's joy in the ordinary circumstances of this life. Whether it's through a conversation you have or a sunset after a long day, remember to slow down and be blessed by these experiences. Not every day here on earth will hold some magnificent event, but every day we have the opportunity to experience God's magnificence. It's being able to be content with the ordinary things in your life and to be able to appreciate the gifts that they are to us. We can learn so much about how to be thankful for what we have by doing this.

  God wants us to experience Him and be in fellowship with Him every day of our lives. One way He is revealing this to me is by teaching me to be thankful in every circumstance of life, in the extraordinary events and in the simplicity of every day moments. Through doing this, I will be filled with His overflowing joy and will be able to live more purposefully as I learn to enjoy the simple gifts that God has blessed me with.