Everything is precious in that half-awake state where the demands of life haven’t infiltrated yet and the day feels etched with potential. As my feet hit the floor, I try to remember to pause and pray before the dark cloud of negative thoughts start to cluster in my head like angry birds.

I carefully place one stiff leg, one unsteady foot after another and make my slow way down our steep stairs. I always smile when my besotted, should-have-gone-to-Specsavers husband greets me with ‘Hello Gorgeous!’ as he wraps me in a hug. Exhausted, bare-faced, messy-haired and pyjama-clad as I am, it always makes me feel loved.

After breakfast, we peruse the newspapers with a steaming cup of coffee in our hands. I glance across at my man, my best friend and soul companion. We try to see who will get the most crossword clues completed, wonder who will need to look something up, and if we will finish it or not.

Appreciation sets in when we realise everything we have is given. It’s all a gift of grace from God’s hands. Yes, even the hard we hate having to press through, even that can produce lemonade out of our sour feelings and develop endurance and perseverance in our souls, as we surrender and yield it all to Him.

As I survey my overstuffed wardrobe and drawers in search of something worthwhile to wear, I realise I already have far more clothes than I need. Sufficiency is such a precious gift, isn’t it? An abundance we can easily take for granted.

Everything is precious when you don’t know how long you have left to savour it, which includes all of us, I guess. And life’s ordinary experiences begin to take on a tinge of grace when we view them as sacred openings.

“All ground reveals its holiness, if I walk upon it with gentleness and mindfulness. God is in every particle.” — Margaret Silf, Compass Points: Meeting God Every Day at Every Turn

precious - I am grateful heart - Everything is precious quote (C) joylenton @joylenton.com

For those of us with chronic illness, all of our achievements can feel precious. Our lives are limited, curtailed and constrained by pain, but now we are Housebound Superheroes because we’re used to being cloistered in our homes.

Weakness also gives us the gift of knowing what it’s like to be deprived of much we want to do or be, while we learn how to endure, depend more on God, and try to see ourselves as free on the inside by His grace.

It’s a precious gift to be able to appreciate the small, sacred moments which surround us. They act like comfort blanket memories that help keep the darkness at bay because they shield out life’s harshness when we cannot cope with the hard pressing down on us.

precious - sunflower - blue sky -It's a precious gift quote (C) joylenton @joylenton.com

Let’s seek to be satisfied right here, right now, and learn to live gratefully with what we’ve got, and with who we are. Because when we take a good look at our lives, and deliberately seek out the daily hidden gems that lay within our reach, then we will discover treasure we might have otherwise missed.

Mind if I pray for you?

Father God,

Would you surround my friend with the precious gifts of your grace, peace and love. Show them how to hang onto hope in every challenging circumstance. Teach them to be thankful for each small moment when contentment and joy break through. Reveal your holy footsteps in their hearts, and enable them to see evidence of your presence close at hand as they open their eyes and go about their daily tasks. Most of all, remind them just how valued and precious they are in your sight.
Amen

“Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you – as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Where are you seeing the sacred ordinary in your midst? What helps you feel precious and loved? 🙂 ❤