Today (March 19) is National Poultry Day.  Well, it just doesn't get much more exciting than that.

Such a day is surely worthy of celebration.   A day to celebrate the chicken nugget.   Preschoolers everywhere should rejoice.   

But it does make you wonder... who decided March 19 should be such a day?  Apparently the Poultry lobbyists are a powerful group.

One must further inquire, why do we need a day in praise of the fowl creature? 

Why not?  We are culture that seems to make a big deal out of almost everything.  It doesn't even really matter what we're celebrating.  We love to celebrate. 

There are days in honor of peanut butter, chocolate, the cupcake, and salted nut day, chips and dip day, and chocolate covered raisin day.  Those I can understand.

But Tuesday is Festival Of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day.  Really?  We need a day for that?

What if we had a day that was really worth celebrating?  And it could happen every day... Psalm 118:24  This is the day which the Lord has made; we will be full of joy and delight in it.

To delight in today just because we can.  He made a day full of blessings in store for us.  A day rich in promise and delight.  We are told to find joy in it.  

Not happiness.  Joy.  

Happiness depends upon our circumstances.  We get a speeding ticket, or get some bad news... not too likely to be happy.  Probably more likely to be sad or tearful instead of happy.  

But joy doesn't depend on circumstances.  Joy is much deeper than that.  It is based on knowing who is in charge of the day, not what happens in it.  

Delight in the day... God gave it to you to enjoy.  To flourish.  And to celebrate His goodness and love.

Nuggets for everyone.






 

Today is Valentine's Day.  Because of this, (and because it is Tuesday) we wanted to treat the grandkids to lunch; however, Ben isn't really feeling well, so Rachel and I decided to run and errand and then bring lunch home.

All was well and uneventful until we arrived home.  I unbuckled Rachel from her car seat and handed her a bag from Wendy's to carry into the house.  I unlocked the garage door so we could go into the basement.

This is where God's faithfulness enters in.

A sound that can only be compared to iron hitting iron and the "swishing" sound of a whip made me turn my head.  As I did so, I saw the pulley that holds the garage door fling into the window of my car, right where Rachel had been standing not five seconds earlier.  This pulley is about five inches in diameter.  It probably weighs at least a pound, but Ray thinks it may be heavier than that.  The cable that held the pulley to the garage door opener was the "swish."  This metal cable, approximately 15 feet long had snapped across the garage and hit the car, scraping alongside the car door which had just closed .... where Rachel had been standing moments earlier.

The 18 inch heavy metal spring flew into the garage door and put a nice scratch in it and then flew back into the garage.  It landed right where I had been standing when I was unbuckling Rachel's car seat.

Upon inspection we determined the hook at the end of the spring broke and caused a chain reaction of flying metal and cable.

God is faithful.  We were in the single-car garage, but we weren't harmed.   I checked the car for scratches and although I heard the "clunk" and saw the pulley hit the car, there was no damage.  No scratches where the cable hit the car, either.

I don't believe in coincidences.  I believe God knew we would be coming in the garage at that exact moment.  Even though my granddaughter is one of the three most precious things in life to me, she is even more precious to Him.  And He kept her safe.   He timed the snap of the cable perfectly.  And He knew how far the cable would reach, so it had to break in a specific spot so it couldn't reach us.

We are fine.  Rachel only knows there was a noise and has no idea how close we were to injury.   

Ray will be taking a trip to Menard's when the kids go home.  I don't think this is how he wanted to spend Valentine's Day evening.  But we are thankful the people we love the most are ok.

I did remember to thank God as soon as the surprise of what had just happened subsided.    For His provision.   His safekeeping.  And His faithfulness.

I believe God always wants to remind us through small acts like this that we are exactly where He wants us to be... and He's still in control.  Of everything.