Love Notes

Twilight wraps its arms around my neighborhood, and in its embrace are stillness, moonlight, shadows.

And fireflies.

They begin their dance at dusk. When sun gives way to moon. When day and night collide. One by one, tiny flickers appear in the darkness. Robed in moonlight, their glow is sudden. Fleeting.

I marvel at their witching hour waltz, these winged beauties weaving on my lawn. Only moments ago, there was darkness. And now a star-studded galaxy rests like jewels on a twilight crown.

I am bewitched.

From the darkness I pluck a single summertime ember. Even in captivity it is resplendent. Earth-bound star in cupped hands. Moon beam confined to a Mason jar.

I can't hide my smile.

Because these fireflies? These six-legged stars? These little luminaries?

These are my gifts.

My pen writes thankfulness. For the fireflies. For the twilight. For the half-moon in her silvery gown.

     For the gifts lavished upon me by the Lover of my soul. 

I've been writing thankfulness for one month. Capturing God's goodness with pen and parchment.

     And the gifts? I have more than 300.

Really, it's enough to make a girl blush.

Because these 300 gifts - scrawled with gratitude in a lime-covered journal - are evidence. Of God's love for me. Of the way He longs to be my delight, my joy. Of the pleasure He takes in a personal relationship with His child.

     These gifts are love notes from my Maker. 
   

As I reread pages filled with gifts, my heart echoes with the words of James: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).

So the gifts I've been recording? They're from the Father of the heavenly lights.

     Which means the Father of the sun, moon, and stars has chosen to lavish gifts upon me. 

My heart races at the very thought.
  
And the Father of the heavenly lights - the Giver of good and perfect gifts - is unchanging.

Which means that the God who lavishes me with every good and perfect gift is the same God who ...

     gave Sarah the gift of a son in her old age

     gave Moses the gift of waters spread wide

     gave the Israelites the gift of manna in the desert

     gave humanity the ultimate gift - a gift of nails, thorny crown, and empty tomb

That journal, whose pages are lined with good and perfect gifts, is enough to make my heart burst.

Because I serve a God who does not change - 

     Who cradles the moon and cups the sun in His hand - 

     Who hangs the stars in the sky and blankets the cosmos in darkness. 

And that same God? Gives good and perfect gifts to me.

The psalmists write, "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever" (Psalm 107:1). So I write thanks. For good and perfect gifts from a good God whose love endures.

Visit Ann Voskamp's website to take the Joy Dare and write thanks to a God whose love endures.