For January 23rd

“…Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I’m a jogger and every day I look forward to my morning run. One morning as I was stretching and warming up for my jog, I glanced out of the window and saw that it was a wonderful day outside. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. Dressed in my t-shirt, shorts and running shoes, I was very anxious to get started on this beautiful day. Imagine my shock when I stepped outside to find that overnight the temperature had really dropped and it was now below freezing. I hesitated, wondering if I should change into warming clothes, but I thought, “No, I’ll just shorten my jog. I’ll be alright.”

I went several blocks with no problem, but eventually started to get cold and very tired and decided I better start back home. After another couple of blocks I was having a hard time getting my legs to move at all. About three blocks from my house I was able to take a few steps, but then had to bend over to catch my breath. After doing this several times I looked out and could see in the distance someone coming toward me.

By now my legs felt like they had lead weights on them. The person coming towards me was now close enough that I recognized her as one of my neighbors. She had on a coat and was carrying another in her arms. When she approached me she said, “I saw that you were having difficulty, so I brought a coat for you and I’ll help you get home.” I was so grateful to her that I felt like crying, so I said, “Thank you so much, I really do need your help.”

However, she did not give me the coat in her arms. She took off the coat she had been wearing and put it on me. The warmth of that coat made all the difference and after she put on the other coat, she helped me get back home.

Isn’t that the way Jesus is with us? He comes to our rescue, sometimes without us even asking him to, and he surrounds us with his love and kindness and warmth. He is ever on watch over all of us to fix us when we need it, and celebrate with us in joy. What an awesome God we have! Thank you, Lord, for loving us and watching over us.

Tamara Klemm

P.S. If you would like to hear Amy Grant's song from yesterday's post, Go to the actual Living a Life of Gratitude Daily Devotional blog at Gratitudedevotional.blogspot.com.