08 January 2010

RAW::Just Think...

{Photo credit: david.nikonvscanon}


Just think,


you're here not by chance,


but by God's choosing.


His hand formed you


and made you


the person you are.


He compares you to no one else -


you are one of a kind.


You lack nothing


that His grace can't give you.


He has allowed you to be here


at this place in history


to fulfill His special purpose


for this generation.




{Encouragement found on the cardboard insert in my new DaySpring calendar, written by co-founder Roy Lessin. For a free print of this message, please visit www.dayspring.com/free}




I went searching for a new calendar over the weekend. I always ask for a new one for Christmas, I have been stuck on the Mary Engelbreit ones for her whimsy and color, but this year I didn't get what I asked for. So on January 3rd I found myself at Walmart {not something I am fond of, but was a time saver} since I had to not only do grocery shopping, but find all sorts of things for my home, like 101 plastic bumpers to replace the ones on my existing kitchen cabinets or risk going deaf from the hollow thud with each door slam. I was hoping that maybe there was a sale on calendars {it was, after all, January 3rd}, but there was no such luck. I also hoped that there would be a larger display of them than the one little rack by the cards.




I chose one with a huge calendar grid and a close-up of a flower. Not the most visually stimulating, but certainly useful since our color-coded Sharpie marker rainbow schedule is starting to take up more room to be legible than was available on my previous artsy-fartsy calendars.




When I ripped off the plastic, out tumbled this printed cardboard. I was surprised to find this lovely sentiment.




It gave me pause.


I stopped to think.


I like the reminder that I am one of a kind, unique in all the world.


I reveled in the fact that despite the day to day drudgery that life can sometimes become, that there is a special purpose to all of that. And I need to rise above that and find the meaning to my everyday existence.


I enjoyed the thought that my talents, my strengths and even my weaknesses {that which is your greatest strength can also be your greatest weakness...more on that another time} are a gift to me.


A gift.


What I choose to do with that gift is my way of honoring my Creator.




When I thought about these Random Acts of Wisdom, it made me realize that I was meant to find that. That this message, while printed for millions, was a message that I needed to hear.




That is what RAW is all about.




Check It Out::Positively Present


P.S. Head to my post Dare To...Do What You Love to enter the giveaway! You have until Sunday, January 10th to enter!

Enjoy the day!

13 comments:

Unknown said...

That is really a beautiful written peice above!! Just Heavenly lol!!

mairedodd said...

that is indeed a beautiful message... thank you for sharing it... i needed to hear that too ~

Anonymous said...

great message, i needed to hear that too!

sandi m said...

Sometimes reminders appear in the most unexpected places! Thanks for sharing.

Gretz said...

What a beautiful comment you left on Nina's blog ;-)

Just what she needed I would say ;-)

rosebud101 said...

That is a beautiful sentiment, Erin. Thank you for sharing!

Diane said...

Well dear Erin, I too have been in need of two calendars~one to hang on my wall at work(I usually get either Frida, Mary Engelbreit or Monet) ...and one to hang above my work bench at home. But maybe this year RAW may be my choice =)
Thanks for sharing your calendar find. Sounds like you made an excellent choice.
Happy New Year my friend!

Jannie Funster said...

Yes, there for the grace of God go we always.

And my cabinet doors are gratefully thud-free too, I hear ya totally on that!

I was lucky to get that gorgeous desk calendar from Dot of Deeper Issues, one quote on it recently I loved was "Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed." -- Cicero

Jenners said...

I went through a Mary Englebreit calendar stage too ... her stuff is just so happy and colorful.

Lovely poem!

Queen "B" said...

Aloha,
Very nice, so you like to swim in the deep end of the pool too!
That's what I like to call it. I'm always up for a good swim in the deep end,the shallow end is boring.
Mahalo for sharing an excellent message,
I look forward to my next vist
Aloha wishes for a peaceful Sunday
Brandi

peggy said...

What an awesome reminder to find in a calendar! An amazing time to pause and let the NOW that you experienced fill you up!

Peggy

Beth Hikes said...

Thanks Erin for this wonderful way to start the day!! Beth

Leslie @ Bei Mondi said...

Thanks for sharing these enlightening words. When we think, "Ugh, what a horrible day I'm having." or "Why do these things always happen to me?" I think God gives us challenges to see what we'll do with them. It does make us stronger and give us wisdom.

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