i started off the day in my office as i have for the prior 13 days, reading and praying.
after breakfast, the girls and i played some Wii Bowling. isaac would like to play, but for now, he reminds me more of the little puppy named lucky from the movie 101 dalmatians (the animated version).
we even did a little bird watching today, which was great since i missed out yesterday being at work and all. and with this being the first real snow fall of the winter, the birds were all huddled up yesterday morning waiting for sarah to fill the empty feeders.
while isaac napped this afternoon, the girls played outside, and sarah went dress shopping for a good friend's wedding. and i did some reading out of galatians in the peace and quiet, which led me to some research...
God has been teaching me A LOT more about His grace lately. while i've known about grace for some time now, it's being opened to me in fresh new ways lately. i'm even starting to see my sin in a much uglier fashion than i had previously, which has helped me appreciate grace even more. i recently heard a quote that said something like "repentance isn't you deciding not to do something anymore; it's you running to Someone." and that makes perfect sense to me. i can't. He can. life's a choice, yes. but i'd rather hand the reigns to Christ. there is nothing i can do to please God. He loved me even when i was a sinner, and He loves me still. like galatians 2:21 says, "if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing." if there was a way i could earn God's favor and get my own way to heaven, what was the point in Christ's death on that cross? honestly, why even care about Christ? grace isn't about me; it's about His love for me. two things that i keep learning and are in awe of: (1) God knows me even better than i know myself, and (2) He still loves me. i don't even know how to put that in words...
before i left to meet mike and babak for accountability tonight, i noticed a hawk sitting outside the kitchen window with what appeared to be another bird in its talons. i shot a short video of it ripping the feathers out of its prey, leaving a pretty mess in the snow of my yard. since i consider myself a hunter now, i looked at the cooper's hawk with a new kind of appreciation tonight.
favorite bible verse read today: "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (ephesians 2:8-9)
favorite picture taken today (one of these days, i'll have a better camera AND some talent... then i won't have to let the subject of the shot do all the work):
2 comments:
Thanks for gracing us with your reflections today Ben. Say was Issac looking at the "hawk hunt cleaning" when you took this pic.
I also agree with your point about "running to the SOMEONE!" Thank you Jesus for showing us the way to run.
no - but he WAS watching the birds. the hawk was around dusk.
just b/c Jesus shows us the way to run doesn't mean i listen... stupid human that i am.
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