Luke 1:46
And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant."
One Christmas, my brother and I find a magnifying glass in each of our stockings. We are enthralled! And, waste no time trying them out.
We inspect everything imaginable.
Toys. Books. Lamp shades. Tables. Chairs. The dog's fur. Turkey slices on our plates.
Our skin. "Wow! Look at all the tiny pores!"
Our clothing. "Hey! All these fibers have little hairs!"
You name it, we're examining it!
I especially like holding it over the words in my favorite book, Charlotte's Web. I am awed by the miniscule flaws in the inked letters. The way one small word becomes gigantic.
Larger than life.
Revealing a fresh, new perspective.
Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary . . .
~
Stop a moment. Think.
Where are you now in your walk with the Lord?
How strong is your faith?
Is it, as the old hymn goes, "well with your soul"?
In these few days before Christmas, take time to reflect. Get out your magnifying glass and look deep within yourself.
And, ask yourself these questions -
"Is my relationship with God ordinary or extraordinary?"
"How can my soul, like Mary's, magnify Him?"
Will you pray with me?
Help us, Father, to seek an extraordinary relationship with you. May we magnify Your love, Your comfort, and Your grace with humility and faith. Amen.
Readings
Psalms 80 or 146, 147
Isaiah 29:13-24
Revelation 21:22-22:5
Luke 1:39-48a (48b-56)
And then there are times when we magnify our problems and troubles....nice post.
ReplyDeleteSome great questions for us all to ask ourselves and reflect on. The more I have sought out God the more I have realized how truly amazing and big He is...encompassing all. :)
ReplyDelete~blessings
another thought provoking post from you...it has taken me many years to realize and recognize the vows and goals I had set for myself as a child.Today,I am amazed at the grace of God,for leading me all over again where I could open my clenched heart and receive his love and protection all over again.
ReplyDeleteHi, Janu, Jessica, and Alpana, great to see you all here today!
ReplyDelete@Janu - Oh, yes, and how! Great reminder to us to look on the bright side. :)
@Jessica - Yes, the more we magnify Him, it seems, the bigger and grander He becomes. How amazing!
@Alpana - It is a marvel how God works through us in spite of ourselves. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it! Thanks, too, for the compliment!
Blessings to you all! :)
I love your description of the magnifying glass, Martha...I've done that myself! May we all magnify the beauty and awesomeness of the love of God! ♥
ReplyDeleteWhat a metaphor. We so need to pull out our magnifying glasses and look deep within. Beautiful
ReplyDeleteMartha: Love this! Your description of your childhood experience with the magnifying glass is great and the segue to Spiritual devotion is PERFECT! Thank you!!! XO
ReplyDeleteHi, Corinne, Rimly, and Linda! Thanks so much for dropping in today. :)
ReplyDelete@Corinne - Thank you for your kind words. And, yes, I'm with you about magnifying God's love!
@Rimly - Thanks for the compliment. It isn't always easy to do, especially when we think we'll find something we don't want to see, but introspection is so important to our spiritual growth.
@Linda - Thank you for this compliment. I'm so glad you enjoyed today's post!
Blessings to you all!
Love the way you described the magnifying glass. I had fun with mine as well as a child. Magnifying the world around you is rather like viewing as a child seeing everything as larger than yourself. I try to maintain this in my day to day.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jan, and thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteIt is so important to continue to see the world through the eyes of a child. If it was good enough for Jesus, it is certainly good enough for me!
Thanks for your wonderful comment here.
God bless and have a Merry Christmas!
You do it every time... A child memory or an experience of the day.. and like magic you turn it into a wonderful reflective wisdom...
ReplyDeleteThe magnifying glass does not leave me....My practice be it personal or when I am teaching is used and explored...
Thank you for this.
Thank you, Savira, for you kind and encouraging words. They mean so much!
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised at all that your magnifying glass is with you at all times. Your posts reflect deep and clear thinking always and are so inspirational!
Blessings to you, my friend!
Nice and interesting message.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Hope to see you around here in the future.
DeleteBlessings to you!