Thinking about lovely things

Sometimes it really is the small things that make a big difference. Fear and distress are all around us right now. Wherever we are, we face some very real world issues. We’re taking them seriously, but we’re also taking seriously the verse which says:

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.’ (Philippians 4:8) 

We mentioned in another piece that we'd gone around the Tearfund office here in Teddington just before we all moved to remote working, asking people to think of what was good in their lives right now. Here, to help get you thinking about what might be good in your own life, we’re sharing a selection from our list of lovely things.

Top of my list for today is that social media is keeping me connected in spite of isolation. I’m so grateful for being able to stay in touch with people even when I can’t see them in person. May you be blessed, encouraged and uplifted as you find the small things (or big things) that are good in your own world.

Whatever is lovely...

‘I have coffee.’

‘My small group is doing the prayer course and the latest session on unanswered prayer allowed a real vulnerability and trust in the group.’

‘I finally finished the book club book that I’ve been reading for ages.’

‘I got a really good haircut. At a good price!’

‘I did some gardening – planted things with my husband. We’ve got lots of pretty yellow pansies now.’

‘I returned from an excellent work trip in Bangladesh and my family welcomed me home wonderfully – I felt so loved. 😊’

‘My house mortgage has been approved!’

‘I got a new washing machine. The old one was broken so life just got much easier. I’m so grateful.’

‘Our ceiling has stopped leaking because it stopped raining…’

‘I started a new job here at Tearfund.’

‘Last of Us TV show has been announced and Baldurs Gate 3 got an announcement date.’

‘I booked a really low cost holiday… (In September – it’ll all be good by then…).’

‘We saw our 32-week-old baby on an ultrasound – we could see lips, hair, hands… everything. 😊’

‘I’ve seen a lot of team spirit this week – looking after a team member who has had a difficult time.’ 

‘I’m feeling the joy of the Lord a lot!’

‘I had a bone marrow transplant in 2017 and my clinic visit this week says that all my blood levels are slowly coming up into normal range and the bad stuff is not coming up!’

‘I got a big old chunk of wedding planning done – all the boring stuff is out the way now. I’ve even got a colour-coded spreadsheet. 😊’

‘I found a great weekend doughnut! It was sourdough with vanilla mousse and a raspberry jam filling and a shard of chocolate coming out of the top. I think it’s my second best ever doughnut.’

‘Manchester United won 5-0 last night. That was pretty glorious! Eleven games unbeaten.’

‘The sun was shining this morning.’

‘I saw one of my favourite kinds of daffodils the other day – the one with the orange trumpet and the white petals. I’ve been looking out for one of those. 😊’

‘Seeing so many young people impacted by God recently.’

‘I haven’t caught the Coronavirus yet.’

‘I had the best weekend away with my best friends. It was the first time all nine of us had been together in four years. We climbed a mountain in the Lake District. Joy! I hadn’t laughed that much in a long time.’

‘We’ve just bought a house but the fence fell down. We were so worried about how we would possibly afford to fix it. But the neighbour is taking on the bulk of the cost and logistics. And we’ve made a new friend in the neighbour. Such a relief.’

‘In the UK we have the NHS. It’s amazing. I love that!’

‘I passed my driving test and will soon be buying a car. How convenient! And I’ve decided to run a half-marathon and am feeling very excited. I’m grateful for feeling healthy. I also recently received an unexpected tax refund.’

‘I learnt a different [finance] programme in the last two days. It was a good experience to learn something new.’

‘Talking with colleagues with smiles. 😊 We are alive and well.’

‘I had a really good conversation about God with my cousin last weekend. Really cool!’

‘Spring is coming and my raspberry bush is growing. 😊’

‘If there’s no football, I won’t have to watch it.’

‘I moved flat. I’m so thankful for the three wonderful flatmates I’ve had over the past few years. I have a nice home with my mum for now while my plans to move to Italy are on hold because of the virus.’

‘My son lost his first tooth which is very cute. 😊’

‘I’ve had tonsillitis but it’s meant that I got to eat ice cream for every meal this week.’

‘I just had a really epic piece of cucumber! It just tasted really good and felt healthy. 😊 And I had a really good walk this morning.’  

‘We need to interview lots of people for research and lots of people have responded.’

‘I spoke at the House of Lords!’

‘I have a date night with my wife tonight. 😊’

‘Tearfund supporters…’