Choose to be edified....

....every day. From the moment the sun rises to the instant it sets, on nights we lie awake, we're offered countless opportunities to be edified, to turn our minds and hearts upward. In a single day:
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See the nurse who bathes, combs the hair and shaves the chin of an old man. Notice her acts of mercy, her tenderness. Look up and remember how much more merciful and tender is your Father in heaven.

Hear your daughter tell you how much she loves you. Watch her extend her arms as far as they go while she exclaims, "This much." Turn your mind to your Father and ponder how wide His arms are stretched for love of you.

Drive under rows of heavy oak trees lining the street. Stop and remember the weight of the tree your Lord died upon.

Gasp at the green hills, the clusters of purple agapanthus, the sapphire sky. So much loveliness, everywhere. Think upon the gloriousness of heaven, how much more beauty must be there. Infinite beauty.

Feel saddened, humbled by harsh, demeaning words from another as you skim your inbox. Close your eyes and see the blows inflicted on your Lord, the spit on his face. Pray for your neighbor and thank your Father for allowing you a tiny participation in His most redemptive act.

Find yourself disappointed at the disobedience of a child, knowing the tools you've given her to have made another choice. Ponder your Father's disappointment when you knowingly disobey, rejecting the grace He offers to help you choose better.

See the beads in your mother's hands, knowing how many have been numbered for you since you were a child. Know how great her love is for you. Picture your Mother in heaven, how she prays for you, how she begs her Son to have mercy on you. Contemplate yourself in eternity wrapped in her boundless love, and know what you must do to be with her there.

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There are too many gifts to be posted here in the time you're allotted. Remember God cannot be outdone in generosity, and how little time you have here to use and appreciate His gifts, but how easy it is. All it takes is turning your face and your mind upward, in everything that befalls you.