Finding Joy in the Clean Slate of Each New Day ~

I learned to give thanks to God for each new day from the example of my good friend Blanche Washington.   Blanche was a pastor’s wife who loved and served Jesus.  When I first met her, she had faithfully cleaned the home we purchased in 1984 for 30 years.   Our family was grateful when Blanche chose to bless us with her service  for another 10 years.  When she came to clean on Thursdays, part of our bargain was that I would provide lunch.  We usually enjoyed simple fare, always trading off giving thanks to God for His provision.  I loved when Blanche prayed:

•  “Dear Lord, we bow before you as humbly as we know how to give thanks for your goodness.  Thank you Lord for waking us up this morning and for every breath we take.  Bless this food of which we are about to partake, that we might gain strength to serve You well.”

I was young in my walk and had never thought to thank God for waking me up in the morning.  My heart was touched by Blanche’s humility in bowing before God as she gave Him thanks for the gift of life’s breath and the clean slate of each new day.  Overtime, I was changed in how I approached God because of Blanche’s humble example.

Are you looking to make changes in your walk with Christ as we enter into this clean slate of a New Year?  Then I invite you to join me in following Blanche’s example daily:

• Humbly give thanks to God for waking us up each morning.
• Ask Him to help us not take what He has provided for granted.
• Look to Him for direction in how we spend the day He has gifted us with as His Spirit leads.
• Giving thanks that no matter how difficult things may seem (or how alone we may feel) that He is always with us.

I trust that  you will discover that as prayer is offered to God in humility and a faith that is confident in God’s sovereign goodness, the result is often a quietness of mind and heart that blesses the giver.  Be blessed friend as you enter this New Year and live it to His Glory!

Blanche and her family celebrated her 98th birthday yesterday.   Happy Birthday Blanche!

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. “  I Peter 1: 6, 7