April #jammed: Grace Studies.

Day 103: Play to win.

“He is the strong runner
    who, favored to win in his race, is eager to face his challenge.” Psalm 19:5b

“Skip her, mom,” my oldest daughter suggested …annoyed at her little sister’s jitters. “She’s not paying attention! Skip her!”

Monopoly is my favorite board-game, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for my daughters to grow into their attention span to play it. Their favorite part is enforcing all of the rules upon one another. The littlest hates to be timed, has trouble sitting still, and doesn’t like competition unless she’s winning.

“BRI!!!!!” she shouted. “I know it’s my turn …I’m trying to get Daddy to give me Disneyworld!”

Today’s verse is pulled from Psalm 19, which gives glory to God for the sun and the sky.

“the skies testify of His hands’ great work. Each day pours out more of their sayings; each night, more to hear and more to learn.” Psalm 19:1b-2

The sunrise and sunset alone illuminate the truth in that verse. Not one has ever looked identical to the other. Always something new to see, just as there is always something new to learn.

“The sun is the supreme metaphor of the glory of God, as it makes its daily triumphant sweep across the whole extent of the heavens and pours out its warmth on every creature.” NIV Notes

Our family night can’t handle a whole game of Monopoly, so we pack up our pieces and properties and write down what space we were on. Each time we open the game back up, we continue the same game but add new moves and build onto our properties.

New lessons lie in every turn we take if we are paying attention enough to know it’s our turn to roll. When we’re caught up in what happened in the last move, or concentrating too much on the next one …we run the risk of losing our turn.

Just as the sky is new each day, so is our lesson for that day. Make new moves, take turns, and learn from the parts that have transpired before. Life’s days are a continuation of one journey, but when we linger too long in the disappointments of the day before, we prevent new lessons from growing in our hearts.

Our strength comes from Jesus, and He wins. We can face any challenge.

Father, Praise You for the sky and sun, for both remind us of a new day’s challenge and chance to chase You. Thank You for reminding us that life is not always easy, but that we don’t have to carry the hard into each new day. Forgive us for dwelling on the past and for holding onto grudges. Bless our hearts to be held back by nothing as we seek You each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Happy Racing,

Megs

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