I have had a bad cold and cough for over a week, which has made me frustrated most of the time, and irritable some of the time.  Not fun.  Whatever life brings, gratitude is key. There are always things to be thankful for.  So, when I cough today it will remind me to think of a blessing I can count.

Have you experienced any incredible moments of beauty, adventure or intimacy recently? C.S. Lewis says these are glimpses of heaven, giving us a peak behind the curtain of the breathtaking scenery, activity and fellowship that awaits “back stage” in heaven. The depth of God’s grace and forgiveness is hard to fathom, but if we take time to reflect on life’s moments of beauty, adventure and intimacy, this will nudge us toward embracing the wonder and mystery of God’s ways, which are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

“Move with an urgency that creates a movement. Engage in an adventure so compelling that it causes the awakening of others. In this moment, each of us will have to choose. Will you seize your divine moment or let it slip away? Will you choose to go to the left, or will you go to the right? When we play it safe, we squeeze God out of the formula.  If we go only where we know and do what we’re certain will succeed, we remove our need for God.  Whenever we take on a God-sized challenge, self-sufficiency is no longer an option.”             – Erwin McManus (Author, Seizing Your Divine Moment and Chasing Daylight)