The Lord Is So Very Good

Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,

for the Lord is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Jeremiah 33:11

I recently reread the story of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus.  Leprosy was a slow, agonizing and ostracizing disease.  To be brought back from the brink of this torturous nightmare would have indeed been a miracle that demonstrated unfathomable power and obvious love.  Most lepers were shunned by their community and even their families.  To have been a leper, then to have been made clean would have been more than freeing, more than miraculous for the suffering one.  This miracle restored life in so many ways. Thus, we are incredulous to know that only one of the ten came back to Jesus to praise God and to thank his healer.   We just shake our heads and ask, "How could they not?"

Yet, look at all the blessings so many people receive today and take for granted or fail to give credit for the goodness in their lives.  Our God blesses even the unbeliever!  We wouldn't expect them to acknowledge God as the source of blessing.  But it is surprising to hear believers complain even when their lives compared to some are amazingly good. If my memory serves me correctly, I've been guilty myself!

I know God has been so very good to me.  Daily, I can see blessing after blessing, each as undeserved as the one before.  I experience joy in His presence and He showers me with His unfailing love.  I pray each day to see His gifts over the grit of life.  The best antidote to the growth of thankless callouses on our heart, is to run back to Him every day and praise God, thanking Him for all He has done for us.  May we never be like those 9 lepers that prioritized their perfunctory duties and headed to the priests first, instead of running back to Jesus who took the blight off their lives.

We can thank God every day for who He is, for His steadfast, unfailing love toward us.  He wouldn't have to do a thing for us and we'd still have reason enough to praise.  But that He showers us with blessing because of His great love...that is the great miracle. 
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Design Details:
I had so much fun creating this background, especially the pattern in the margin.  I created my own color spray using a gelato and water and it turned out so well.  I love it more than so many of the sprays that stain so deeply and permeate the page.  I sprayed over a stencil.  I have this quick video for you to share my design process.


Sets Used:

Crazy About Snowmen

The Good News

Check out the video to see how I masked off the unwanted portion of one stamp.