Lessons from a Butter Dish: perspectives of GRATITUDE 184

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
​— Melody Beattie

Lessons from a Butter Dish: perspectives of Gratitude

Episode Highlights

• a little "Goo'd Up" Butter Stick Life Application story
• Gathering Scattered Hope
• Clarity comes in moments of breaking bread
• Luke 24: a "responsive" road to Emmaus
• Gleaning 3 new perspectives
• a New door of Gratitude

Getting ready for your day, the coffee is dripping. You feed the dog, pop a piece of bread into the toaster, grab the honey from the cabinet, place your favorite coffee mug on the counter, and set out a small saucer for your toast and fruit. The flow and multitasking are well-timed and impressive. The toast pops, fragrant and inviting. With the toast knife in hand, you lift the lid of the butter dish, reaching for a perfect, fresh, creamy butter, and somebody has left their food dirt on the butter — gross! How could they be so messy and unsanitary? Now you have to clean off the butter, your toast is getting cold. How selfish and thoughtless! So gross, that just drives me nuts. What is our perspective on the small things, irritating things that insensitive others in the house do when you are in a hurry? To clean it for the next person ready to butter up, on our perspective, we explored the butter stuck on food crumbs from a different perspective and allowed grace and gratitude. A.M. get ready to open your heart, get filled with a dose of his goodness. I know you need this.

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How are you doing today? Let me share my morning with you. I was getting ready to record this episode. It had a totally different subject matter. I built the show, made the graphics, and I was struggling to feel the heart, to feel the connection between the Lord and I and you and our conversation today. It's a good word. That is a very good word, but it didn't feel like the word for us today. I'll ask you a question.
What is the word for you today?
​
What do you need to hear from the Lord today?
Back to my morning. Here I am. I'm in the kitchen. I'm getting ready for the day. The coffee is dripping. I'm feeding – I pop a piece of bread into the toaster, and I grab the honey from the cabinet. I made Don's coffee in his to-go container. I grabbed my favourite coffee mug. It's sitting on the counter, and I set out a small saucer for toast and fruit. My flow and multitasking, it's timed and impressive. I'm getting it down. We're gonna get there, get the podcast done for the day, and the toast pops up, fragrant and inviting. I hurry while the toast is hot. I have my knife in hand and the lid on the butter dish, so I lift it up and reach for that perfect pad of fresh, creamy butter. I am the one who messed up this morning. It was my night. There was a bunch of string in Don's coffee, and when I set it on the saucer, yuck, so I was the guilty party. I smashed the butter. It's totally in our lives, defamed the butter. What is our perspective of the small things, the irritating things, and sensitive of others in the things I have lived with? At the same time, I have seen some insensitivity. Maybe you're the one that when you were in a hurry, did you clean it up for the next person? Are you ready for metaphorical perspectives? And we're gonna have a jolly laugh too. Thank you so much.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie

I truly appreciate you for actively engaging in podcasts and reading books, as you intentionally pursue personal growth and self-improvement. I've observed that this dedication isn't prevalent everywhere, but you exemplify it.
​I celebrate your efforts and encourage you to keep pushing forward—amen to that!

Today, we’re embarking on a journey through Luke 24. You might be familiar with the passage about the road to Emmaus, but let me set the stage for you. Jesus has just been crucified, and Mary has discovered the empty tomb. In this moment, Jesus has his first resurrected conversation with her, and she rushes off to share the news with the disciples.
As we move forward, I want to infuse a lighthearted metaphor involving a butter dish to delve into the heart of today’s message. Remember, He speaks to us today, and I’ve been waiting for His guidance for both you and me. Jesus will breathe life into our discussion, allowing us to appreciate the richness we already possess.
So, grab your cup of coffee, hold onto that steering wheel, or slow your walking pace and take a breath. We’re going to share a meal with the Master today. The butter dish serves as a metaphor—allow the Lord to reveal its significance and apply it to your own life. Let’s think about how we sometimes find ourselves caught up in the remnants of someone else’s mess, much like butter smeared with crumbs.
In Luke 24, we witness two disciples walking just eight miles from Jerusalem, deeply engaged in a profound discussion as they try to make sense of the extraordinary events they’ve just experienced. They’re sifting through the leftover "crumbs" of their memories from a shocking week, seeking clarity amid their confusion. Suddenly, Jesus joins them as an unexpected guest at the table, yet their eyes remain clouded with disbelief, preventing them from recognizing Him.
Imagine if you found the butter smeared with someone else's leftovers; how would you respond if Jesus asked you why you were so troubled? The exchange of words can feel as futile as trying to brush crumbs off butter. Are you listening? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your daily challenges, only to find yourself unraveling?
One of the disciples questions Jesus, asking, "Are you the only one unaware of what’s happened in Jerusalem?" It’s as if he’s saying, “Haven’t you seen the chaos we’re trying to navigate?” You might be thinking, “Haven’t you noticed the mess I’ve been dealing with?” Are you aware of the struggles at hand?

BINGE LISTEN... gratitude

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it's the little things

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and vision for tomorrow. And here's the heart of it: the disciples reclined at the table. Jesus blessed and broke the bread. Their eyes suddenly opened in that simple act. The crumbs of confusion cleared away, and they recognized him. They recognized him. Just as quickly as the crumbs disappeared, so did he from their sight. In our own lives, we often find ourselves lost in the details, missing the larger picture. Thank God for the individuals in our lives, even though they may drive us nuts. The ability to experience life as a gift liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation. Gratitude is the ability to see life as a gift. Can you imagine sharing butter with anyone, nobody there to sleep behind, a bit of dirt, no messy clothes, the toilet seat never left up? Or are we too controlling to allow lovelies to move into a world we want to control? Relationships are difficult; relationships take great maintenance of self, of me, myself, and I. Open the door of gratitude. Allow God to toast your communion and break bread and laughter. Laugh at life's little messes, but don't keep them out. It is in these moments of breaking bread, of sharing life with other people, reflecting and understanding, that clarity often comes. So next time you find yourself sifting through life's crumbs and cleaning up the butter, remember sometimes the answers are right there waiting to be revealed. Look around you again. Look at the plate before you. Look at it. We have cars and jobs and charity shops filled with good deals, hot showers, family love, family to drive you nuts. We have holidays. We can read and write. We can go for a walk. Look at the season changing around us. We have children and grandchildren. We can go to church. We can vote. We can have an argument with our spouse. We have bank accounts, insurance policies. We can call our mom. We have friends to share a meal with. We can buy and read a book. We can send a card, help a friend. We have the Internet and headphones and can listen to a podcast recorded in Corvallis, Oregon. We can google any question and have 10,000 answers in a heartbeat. We woke up today with breath in our lungs. 

Scripture Treasures

Later that same day, two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus about 8 miles from Jerusalem. They were in deep discussion about all the things they had witnessed.  In the middle of their debating, groping for answers, Jesus joined them on their journey. Yet their eyes were veiled and they did not recognize him.  Why are you so perplexed? You're throwing words at one another, and judging by your gloomy faces it's obviously not helping.  One of them, Cleopas, answered him, Are you living in isolation, not knowing what has taken place right here in Jerusalem over the past few days. 
Jesus replied, So, what exactly happened? They both answered, The man Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet who was known for his mighty works and words before God and all the people.
Well, the high priests and our rulers betrayed him and sentenced him to death; then crucified him. 
We had such high hopes that he was about to redeem Israel. Yet now, it is already the third day since it all happened. In the meantime some of the women in our group astounded us. They were at the tomb very early this morning. His body wasn't there. Then they claimed to have seen a vision of two angels who said that he was alive. Some of our own group then also went to the tomb and found the grave empty, just as the women told us, but they did not see Jesus.  He answered them, Why do you fail to understand and find it so difficult to believe the entire context of the prophetic conversation. Was their theme not always pointing to the inevitable sufferings of the Christ and the subsequent glory?  He then took them on a journey through Scripture, beginning with Moses and throughout the prophets he pointed to himself, mirrored in their word.  They were now getting close to the village they were heading for, but he appeared to be going further. But they would have nothing of it; they told him as forcefully as politely possible to spend the night at their dwelling. It was already evening and a late hour. He obliged and entered the village with them.  This is how it happened, As soon as they reclined at the table, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it and was giving it to them.  And immediately their eyes were opened and they knew exactly who he was. Then he vanished from their view. Luke 24 Mirror 

The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely. —Louisa May Alcott

Praise God we have relationships.
We have a choice who we spend time with.
Choose wisely, and celebrate the messiness of love.
Celebrate that butter on the butter dish. Louisa Alcott says it so captivatingly:
The power of finding beauty in the humblest of things makes home happy and life lovely.
One of my favorite things as we enter into the holiday season is the bell ringer at the Salvation Army giving stand. You know that they're dressed up as Santa, I love that it's the spirit of celebration, festivities, the joy and the gratitude of sharing and creating moments with our families and our friends. I'll tell you a quick story as we're about ready to finish up. I really do love those little Salvation Army. I wanted to do that one time, and I did. So I signed up for the job, and I had my bell ringing station, and what did I do? I sang Christmas carols over and over and over and over again. It was wonderful, one of the best Christmas memories I have to share. And people came up to me and asked me, "Kristen, would you sing this carol?" or "Do you know this carol?" and I sang them and they sang with me. And they'd be holding their children, and they'd breathe and let the worries of the day just go away. It was so much fun. I trust this blessed you and your perspective. And what is so amazing, just because I kind of mushed the butter in the butter dish this morning, the simplest things, the simplest way that the Lord opens our hearts, so that we can see how full our lives are, how much he has infused us with love and how close it is. So give your mama, give somebody a hug today. Thank the Lord for goodness and graciousness and share the gratitude and perspectives that he showed you. 

Family, the best investment of your time...
Healthy boundaries a MUST.
Joy, is the freedom to be an example, Freedom is the gift you give to others to see that example. 

MEET THE BLOGGER >>>

A family favorite, eating outdoors. Justin taking his Mom for an overdue lunch. (for doing his laundry!) 
So are you enjoying out quest? I am answering 70 of the most asked interviewing questions, by podcasters and famous interviewers. Read last weeks answer. 
Choosing from my QUESTION checklist: This weeks Hmm?
 How are you different than your old self last year?
I'm about 15 lbs. lighter, in better shape, and feeling more confident financially. Our business have tripled sales this year. Super encouraging! Learning curve again!

“Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.” —John Ortberg

Hurray for Butter Dishes!

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