Dear friends in Christ: We welcome back Margaret Ellsworth, Forward Movement’s Content Marketing Manager, as our guest author this week.
I’m writing this post in the midst of preparing for vacation, and all the chaos that entails. Beside my desk is a half-packed suitcase with sandals, sunscreen, and books. On my desk the Bible is open to the readings for this coming Sunday, in which God tells Abraham: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Not that a little family trip is in any way equivalent to Abraham’s journey! But a vacation is its own little disruption, and also a great blessing. I’m got me wondering what blessings God has planned for me, and through me, this summer.
There’s a lot to be grateful for in this season! I’m blessed to live only a few steps from the Boise River, where I can spend summer afternoons listening to the water and watching kingfishers dive and soar. I’ve also got kids who are absolutely reveling in summer break, where even the work ahead of them – swim lessons and summer reading challenges – is joyful work.
I praise God for these blessings, and I also wonder: How might God intend these blessings for me and my family to ripple out to other families, other corners of God’s creation?
As I finish packing, I focus my prayers:
I hope my kids will be amazed at the beauty of nature on our trip – and that they will bring that wonder and curiosity back to their own backyard, as even more dedicated lovers of God’s creation.
I hope that as they spend time with beloved friends and family, that a little of their elders’ faith and kindness will rub off on them – that they will grow a little more into wise and faithful people.
I hope that slowing down for a week will refresh and renew us, so we can come back to the work we have been given to do, and set ourselves to the task with even more gladness.
How is God blessing you this summer? How are the joys of this season preparing you and your family to be a blessing for others?
Yours faithfully,
Margaret Ellsworth
Content Marketing Coordinator
More from our ministry:
Joyful spiritual formation for families: The Little Box of Good News
Explore scripture and creation together: The Creation Care Bible Challenge
Take prayer with you wherever you go: The Booklet of Common Prayer
Mark your calendars for A Summer with Paul online Bible study, beginning 6/11