The Joy Dare - Feb 18

Three gifts on paper

Well if this had said gifts of paper the boundaries of the gift may have been a bit broader, but on paper, indicates it's the thing that is on the paper that is the gift...so that narrows it down a bit. And besides that, I have become a minimalist when it comes to the paper dilemma...you know, ecology and all that. I tend to save files to my computers...home or work, instead of printing them out. I have an ereader now and read most of my books that way...email instead of notes and letters....but I did still find some dear things on paper today that I can share.

1. I pulled out my passport today. We had a meeting today for a mission trip I am leading and we needed to check our passport to make sure it doesn't expire before a certain date. I was looking through it and was so grateful for all the places I've traveled, the things I've seen, and mostly the people I've met....And also, so very, very blessed and fortunate for the country I live in, for the freedom and affluence we experience here, AND for the way Canadians are received all over the world. Wow, I am a very blessed and fortunate woman.

2. I was perusing the bulletin at our church service tonight and looking at all the events and ministries that make up our church family....I was a little overwhelmed. I have never attended or been a part of another church, but I have attended other churches' services and spoken to many people who attend other churches. While our church, and I mean the church leadership not the building, is far from perfect and does not please everyone, I can see their heart is to do the will of God....to encourage the body to first love Him, to worship Him with our whole lives, to show us our giftings and then give us places to use them to serve, to love others as Jesus would... we have a long way to go to love like Jesus, but we are on the road and I am glad to be in a time and place and in a church family that is pursuing love and ministry.

3. I've been putting thoughts to paper lately, using my creative juices on a project that might just go somewhere...or nowhere at all. It looks pretty...I bought some new markers and pens and pencils and a sketch book... no, I have not turned into an artist, not the drawing kind...it's sort of a story map, character sketches, plot lines, scene settings....a lot of jumbled ideas right now but I've been cautiously excited if that makes sense. But as I was jotting some ideas down today, I decided to embrace it fully and not restrain the ideas because it might be just foolish dreaming. I am using a God-given gift of creative story-telling...and He IS in the process, I can feel His presence...so I won't get caught up in the what-if and just enjoy the process whether it is just solely for my benefit or an audience of One, or of many. I decided the gift was the joy He is giving me in it....and I'll take it graciously.

Sometimes paper is worth whatever is on it, regardless of the tree cost.