Covering many a public place are the declarations of love one has for another. From notebooks, to restroom stalls, park benches, and tattooed bodies... we humans have a tendency to announce our love so others may know.
We're just like our Creator and Loving King. In his words, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." Isaiah 49:16a
What I love most about his hands is that right in the middle of the engraving, I see the nail scars that demonstrated his love.
Living your best life is remembering who loves you most. The one who is with you in the darkest of nights, the prosperous times and the needy ones. The one who gives you purpose and the freedom to enjoy life here on earth. The one who has rescued you from a miry pit of destruction more times than you can count. The one who celebrates over you with singing. The one who gave his life so you could experience life.
May you receive the deepest love there is for you today... His.
Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. - Swedish Proverb
Last Friday had me at Vineyard family movie night watching the movie Rio. As the hosts introduced the evening, they ran a short video trailer of a fundraising event. It was cute and pretty funny. At one point, the two-year-old sitting diagonally in front of me was so tickled watching it that he turned his head looking for someone to share the laugh. His eyes locked with mine and we both laughed a big belly laugh.
That was it. Spontaneous hilarity and I was his person. For the rest of the evening, any scene in the movie that cracked him up.... or if he wanted to laugh for any random reason... he'd turn and look at me to share it. Then, after so much giggling, he would sigh really loud. Which would set me to laughing again and on and on we went.
Whether it's laughter or tears, it really is so much more when we lock eyes and share it.
Living your best in life depends on moments such as these. Spontaneous, heart-felt experiences that enrich, lighten and refresh. Ordinary days interrupted with emotion.
Sometimes I fall into the grind of life, especially on gray, cold winter days. Sometimes I let worry cloud my outlook or busyness distract me. Sometimes I get tired or over-stimulated and simply tune out.
And sometimes I am surprised by the moments I've been given.
Let's keep our eyes open and live present with the people around us. May it double our joy and half our sorrows.
