If we admit it, there are days when even sitting through the best sermon is drudgery.  Where our minds can’t connect what we’re hearing to our hearts, whether it’s from distraction, stubbornness, or just sin.

Yesterday was one of those days where distraction and sin tried to make a good sermon drudgery rather than a two-edge sword to pierce my heart.

The Holy Spirit eventually won out.

The passage was short and one I had often looked over:  James 1:26-27

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue be deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Oh, how I have deceived my heart!  How I have seen myself as pious, but turned and whipped my husband with words that do nothing to build up his heart.  Or I have sat and read the Word, and then lost my temper with a whining toddler.  Or I have quietly stayed home when I could have been forging relationships with those who need grace most.

May the truth of this word continue to pierce me through.

Counting #2129-2150 of the good and perfect gifts He continues to give me in love

• Rainer cherries on super sale- sooo good
• Publix frozen chocolate yogurt
• Nighttime cards with Derek
• First ay to pick up my CSA share
• Unexpected pizza dough and peppers 🙂
• Praying for the girls before naps
• Toddler girls crawling into each others laps to comfort the crying sister whose hair is being combed
• Time to cook a few meals while the oven was hot
• Discovering the mouse in the closet
• Discovering the one thing Bronwyn might be scared of: mice!
• Derek and I working until bedtime on kitchen and closet clean-up
• Picking beauty from my front yard
• Feeding cottage cheese to the girls
• Appetizer dinner night (yum yum!)
• Derek graciously letting me take a nap
• Derek making banana bread out of smashed bananas the girls pulled off the counter (when did they get that tall?!) Best banana bread ever!
• Two CSA-inspired vegetarian dinners.  Oh my, eggplant Parmesan is so good! Recipe that I basically followed here (I breaded and baked first rather than grilling).
• $1 thrifted flannel crib sheets made into PJ sets for the girls.
• Trying my hand at making a pattern even if they ended up as PJs
• Listening to a challenging message
• Attempting to apply
• Freedom to pray for wisdom whenever I need it