On Monday my friend Elaine wrote a post over at Peace for the Journey that I have had on my mind ever since. She titled it "A Single Thing". She spoke of how we never know how just ONE single thing we do may touch someone else. And yesterday I saw that play out in my life.
Early Tuesday mornings are now dedicated to Beth Moore's "Daniel" Bible study.
We have a group of around twenty-five ladies who come to our new Sav-A-Life center to gather in the meeting room to listen to Beth expound the Scriptures. I told them yesterday morning about reading Elaine's blog Monday and how it impressed me. I wanted them to realize that "single" things that they do in their lives for others may not seem like much to them but may seem like very much to the other person! Each of these ladies are such a blessing to me on Tuesday mornings. So my day started out with many blessings!After I finished the Bible study time I drove over to the "Young at Heart" Senior Citizen center/gym to walk. I went in, got a folding chair and put underneath the coat hooks so I could sit down and change into my walking shoes. I hung my shoe bag and my coat above the chair and started walking my laps around the gym. A group of much older (than me) Seniors were there for their Tuesday morning square dancing. While I was walking and was on the other side of the gym I saw a lady walk over to the chair under my coat....the only chair in that particular area....and lay something down on the chair. In ten minutes or so the little group disbanded and gathered their coats and hats and purses and left. I fully expected that lady to go by and pick up whatever it was lying in that chair but she didn't. When I finished my walking and went to change back into my street shoes I looked to see what she had left.
To my great surprise I found that she had left me a piece of cake carefully covered up with a paper towel.
I had forgotten that they bring refreshments. That was such an unexpected blessing to me! I brought it home and had it for dessert after lunch. And was it ever delicious! The best lemon layer cake with some kind of lemon sauce between the layers I've ever eaten! I'll have to try and find out who left it for me when I see them next Tuesday so I can thank them!
Our mailman runs the middle of the afternoon usually but it's sometimes the next day when I check the mailbox because it's almost half a mile from the house and I don't walk down there when it's freezing cold like this. Yesterday afternoon I hear a horn blow just outside the front porch and my hubby says, "It's the mailman!" He never comes to the house unless there's a package. And, sure enough, it was a package but not the chainsaw parts my hubby was expecting. It's a package for me! And I'm not expecting a package! Another blessed surprise! It's from one of my dearest friends in GA. She had the box packed with so many nice things....each one of them wrapped in soft pink tissue paper. I could hardly keep from crying it touched me so!
Our mailman runs the middle of the afternoon usually but it's sometimes the next day when I check the mailbox because it's almost half a mile from the house and I don't walk down there when it's freezing cold like this. Yesterday afternoon I hear a horn blow just outside the front porch and my hubby says, "It's the mailman!" He never comes to the house unless there's a package. And, sure enough, it was a package but not the chainsaw parts my hubby was expecting. It's a package for me! And I'm not expecting a package! Another blessed surprise! It's from one of my dearest friends in GA. She had the box packed with so many nice things....each one of them wrapped in soft pink tissue paper. I could hardly keep from crying it touched me so!
She sent a scented candle, bath gel, lotion, two kinds of note paper, a handbag caddie (used to hang your purse from the table when you go out to eat), and a beautiful gold & silver bracelet with a heart on it! Thank you Evelyn! What a wonderful blessing you are to me!
My day was full of blessings! I was tired at the end of the day and went to bed before hubby did. I was so tired that I left my sink full of dishes which I hardly ever do any more! But I told myself I would just clean the kitchen in the morning when I got up. During the night I woke up and went in the kitchen to get a drink of water. Lo and behold the kitchen sink was empty and clean!
My day was full of blessings! I was tired at the end of the day and went to bed before hubby did. I was so tired that I left my sink full of dishes which I hardly ever do any more! But I told myself I would just clean the kitchen in the morning when I got up. During the night I woke up and went in the kitchen to get a drink of water. Lo and behold the kitchen sink was empty and clean!
Had the dishwashing fairy been to my house??? No.... my sweet hubby had washed the dishes for me! You know, I think I slept better knowing that chore was taken care of! And I don't think that he realized when he was doing it what a blessing it would be to me!
I woke up this morning thinking of all the blessings I receive every day from the Lord. And most of the time He uses a person to send the blessings to me! If you're reading this I'm pretty sure He's used YOU at one time or another to bless me! And I could not get the old hymn "Make Me a Channel of Blessing" off my mind.
I woke up this morning thinking of all the blessings I receive every day from the Lord. And most of the time He uses a person to send the blessings to me! If you're reading this I'm pretty sure He's used YOU at one time or another to bless me! And I could not get the old hymn "Make Me a Channel of Blessing" off my mind.
"Is your life a channel of blessing? Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Saviour? Are you ready His service to do?
Make me a channel of blessing today. Make me a channel of blessing I pray.
My life possessing. My service blessing.
Make me a channel of blessing today."
(Harper G. Smyth, 1873-1945)
And today? I was blessed to play with my grandbabies. And our DIL treated us to lunch!
May my prayer everyday be, "Lord, make me a channel of blessing in at least one single thing today" !
Marilyn
May my prayer everyday be, "Lord, make me a channel of blessing in at least one single thing today" !
Marilyn
16 comments:
Loved your message today. Isn't it "funny" how little things will bless us so much? Unexpected blessings are definitely from the Lord. I love them.
Emilie
Great! Sometimes I ask the Lord to make me a blessing to customers that I talk with on the phone.
Even when we are pretty much isolated we can still be used to touch someone's life. Hope you will
have a great rest of the week. (I am still painting the living room in my spare time; I started with
Indian White and it had an orange tone to it so now I have switched to Raw House Tan.) I hope
that it will turn out well. Will let you know.
Your Friend,
Peggy
Marily,
You are such a lovely woman and you are a blessing to my heart. I love your prayer and I echo it, even though it is late in the day.
WITH LOVE,
Yolanda
Marilyn, your blog is a blessing to me. I pray that daily I can be a blessing to someone.
How precious!! I loved this, Marilyn! And that cake looked yummy! I might have had to share a smidgen with you!! Don't you love how God sends little surprises our way! He is so amazing! And, I loved Elaine's post.
Hugs!
Susan
So sweet Marilyn. Isn't Evelyn precious, and to think I never knew her before her Mother died. I feel like I know her through facebook. YOU are a channel of blessing. God is so good to give us glimpses of Heaven while we are still her on earth. Love you.
Lonnie is better and getting to come home tomorrow. Praise the Lord.
Martha
Dear Marilyn,
You certainly deserved all this and more. And your life is certainly a "CHANNEL OF BLESSING" to all who know you. God bless you always.
Love you,
Ouida
Very sweet Marilyn! I will be more conscious of those blessing in my life today!
Thank you!
That was so sweet of you to share all those blessing with us!
What a wonderful post! Thank you for being a blessing to me so many times - teaching our Sunday School class, articles that you have written and shared with us, sharing through your blog, playing the instruments at church, letting us share in such a small way in Sav-A-Life, little things that you have said to me personally and just being such a great friend. Thanks for being a channel of God's blessing to me!!!!
Cheryl
what a beautiful sentiment...may we all live and continuously do "one thing"
I love how God works. It seems as if He multiplies and adds all those "ones" and we receive countless blessings! I pray I do my part to pile them on others!!
As I can sometimes shy away from obeying God for fear of rejection among other things. Great post!
love you, marilyn! lisa xoxo
Your sharing of the wonderful sweet blessings He gave you BLESSED my heart today!!
And yes! I echo your heart....Lord make me a channel of blessings!
Sweet Blessings!
Jackie
Hello,
Just wanted to thank you so your last devotion on being a channel of blessing to someone. That helped me so much. I want to be that!! You are a blessing to me & all of the writings you do. They are all so good!! You would make a good Preacher!! Ha! Ha!! No, you are a great writer for women or men. I tell Kent about many of your articles. Have a great week.
God bless!!
Vickie
Hi Marilyn! Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting- all the way from MS! :) I've enjoyed looking around your blog and getting to know you and your heart a little!
Tara G.
P.S. That cake looked good! :)
Wow... that's a lot of single things in one day! Oh, the sweet blessings of our good God! And that lemon cake... try and get the recipe. I love a good, homemade lemon cake.
And for the record, friend, your life continue to be a channel of blessing for me. Don't worry too much about the tooth... just wait it out if you can. All will resolve itself. I'm just sorry you have to wait. I do think the Lord will grant you favor with a new dentist down the road. It's hard to make changes, is it not? Trust me on this one... I'm walking through one right now.
peace~elaine
Thanks for the great post. It caught my eye this morning because of your quotation of Harper Smyth's "Is Your Life a Channel of Blessing?" (Today is the 65th anniversary of his death.) To learn more about him, I invite you to check out my daily hymn blog, Wordwise Hymns for today.
The Lord provides us with many opportunities to be a channel of blessing to others. But sometimes we can be a blessing and not even know it. Here's a little example:
When I first met Jim Parsons, he was a professor of education at the University of Alberta. But before that he was an elementary school teacher.
Back then, it had been Jim’s habit to stand at the door of his classroom morning by morning, greeting the children as they filed. To each one he gave a smile and some friendly comment. To Mary he said, “New glasses? They look great!”
Months went by. The school year ended. And it was then Mr. Parsons met Mary’s mom. But he was totally unprepared for what she told him. “You changed my daughter’s life,” she said, her eyes misting with tears.
Parsons racked his brain to recall what he might possibly have taught his pupil that had been so revolutionary. He could think of nothing in particular.
But the mother said, “This year we had to get Mary glasses–and she hated them. She dreaded being seen wearing them. She balked at going back to school with them on. But you told her how great she looked, and that changed everything. Her confidence has been growing ever since.”
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