I might still be full.
Man! I haven’t stuffed myself like I did Thursday in a very long time (maybe since last year).
As it turns out, I’ll be preaching tomorrow at Temple Baptist Church, Amarillo about fasting.
It’s probably better after Thanksgiving than before, but it really wasn’t planned with Thanksgiving in mind. I’m preaching through the Sermon on the Mount for several months (started September 15 and scheduled to finish February 2). We just happen to be at Matthew 6:16-18 this week.
And I might still be full.
But full of food is not what I’m talking about.
We had our kids and grands together for most of the day Thursday. Our grands are 10,8,7,5, and 7 months.
They didn’t eat a lot, but they played. They played with wild abandon. They played with volume. They played with imagination. They played with joy.
A few times (not many) they needed a bit of redirection, but for the most part it was just innocent fun.
Though it was a bit nippy, my son-in-law took the 4 “big” kids to the backyard for a bit while the baby napped.
They frolicked until their hands and noses were cold enough to come back inside.
I thought of that when I read Malachi 4 this morning.
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves” (Malachi 4:2).
Malachi 4 talks a lot about judgment of the wicked, but in the middle of it there’s this frolicking image that shows freedom and safety for those who revere the Lord.
My grands are full of life and energy. And have I mentioned noise?
Could it be that they know that Grandpa & Sweetie’s house is a safe place? A place full of love? A place where they’ll always belong? A place where correction is always connected to what’s best for everyone? A place where “we” is always emphasized over “me?”
I hope so.
And I hope I’m still learning more about how to frolic in the grace of God.
I may still be full.
And may we all learn what it means to be filled.
Be amazing today, my friend.
