Today was a fairly normal day. Nothing spectacular or dramatic happened. Still, I'm settling into bed with a very thankful, peaceful heart. Today was good.
In the past few days, I've been turning to God consistently for strength and grace. Yesterday, Monday, started our fourth quarter. I was a little anxious about heading back into a routine, into the ordinary. As I learn to trust God more, though, I keep seeing his faithfulness blow me away. Today, he amazed me with some simple gifts of joy and peace. At work, I was encouraged by our students and their attitudes. They were fun, receptive and trusting. This isn't completely unlike them, but today just felt exceptionally positive. I laughed a lot, listened to a student share some hard obstacles he's facing and was reminded of the reality of Jesus' death for us.
After work, I ran off to meet a friend for coffee. I arrived earlier than our planned time, so I read more of a new book. Only 40 pages in, Bloodlines by John Piper, is already gripping me in big ways. I couldn't get enough of this book-I'm intrigued and challenged by its contents. I'm sure I'll be sharing more as I continue through the book. After pulling my head out the pages, I drank some great coffee and shared with an awesome friend. The time was encouraging and refreshing, and it was something I deeply desired.
I left the coffee house soon after, and met Reed at our last Financial Peace class. For the past 13 weeks, we've gone through the well-known Dave Ramsey program, and we've learned a lot. We've also laughed and rolled our eyes a lot at the cheesy videos. Still, tonight was a really neat conclusion to the course. I hadn't expected to be so emotional, but the night focused on building wealth so that we'd one day be able to give as freely and creatively as possible. Some of the stories, I will admit, were powerful. I was most impacted by the idea of giving for the sake of being like God, who is the ultimate Giver. He gave his Son, he ONLY Son. We have a loving, giving Father, and I want to glorify him with all that he's given me. I want open hands with our money-open hands that know the Provider and seek to provide for others.
Reed and I ended the night with a little celebration meal. We grabbed Chinese food, got comfy and watched New Girl. Now, we're both winding down for some very welcomed rest. After such a good, ordinary day, I simply feel full. I'm very thankful for these routine days that show me how wonderfully great our God is...even in our uneventful, simple times.