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| This sweet graphic is by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings |
Many readers know that every year I write (or update) a kids' summer devotional book for our church's children's ministry, Patch the Pirate Club. (You can learn more about Patch the Pirate Clubs here.)
Back in 2005, the songs and lessons the kids studied were from the Patch the Pirate adventure Limerick the Leprechaun, so I wrote a devotional book for our church kids featuring an Irish theme and also including information about sheep and shepherds. One of many things I wrote about was the topic of "Irish Blessings." Of course, when sharing these with the kids, I steered clear of those that emphasized luck. For, as Abby reminds us in this post, No Luck Here, we are blessed, not lucky.
So today I am simply going to share the devotional page I wrote concerning one "Irish Blessing".
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
(Psalm 37:4)
Today we will learn about another "Irish blessing". You may remember that these "Irish blessings" are good things that one person might wish for another. Here is the one for today:
May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire.
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all that your heart might desire!
These are good things to wish for your friends. "Walls for the winds" and "a roof for the rain" mean that you hope your friends will always have shelter from the weather.
"Tea beside the fire" reminds us of a warm, cozy home. Tea warms us up on the inside and a fire warms us up on the outside!
"Laughter to cheer you" is a good thing to have. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:22 that "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine."
Of course, "those you love near you" is a wish to always have friends and family nearby. We like to have our loved ones near.
The last wish is "for all that your heart might desire." Our Bible verse today tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. Delighting in God means that He is more important to us than anything else in our lives. If we delight in God, we will love to spend time with Him, reading His Word, and talking to Him in prayer. If we truly delight in God, the things we desire, or really want, will be things that please Him. When we delight in God, He will give us the desires of our hearts.
* Thank God for the promises in His Word, the Bible. Ask God to help you delight in Him more each day. *
And there you have it! Hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into my devotional book In Green Pastures. This particular Irish blessing strikes me as one that I would wish for all of my friends.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! And remember, we are blessed -- not lucky.
Many of the Irish blessings are edifying and often a little humorous, too. The others...well...
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to learn that you have written for children!
Yes, we are blessed and luck has zip to do with it.
So very, very true. As Abby says, no luck here.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've written quite a few kids' summer devotional books for use by our church and sometimes a few others. I enjoy it ... takes a lot of research and a lot of self-discipline to get those pages written. At this point, though, I have written enough different ones so that I can just cycle through them again, updating pages as needed, and there is no chance of the same children receiving the same book they did years previously. The whole idea is to keep them in the habit of a quiet time all year round, not just the school year when Patch the Pirate Club meets. (The "Sailors' Logs" are daily devotionals they use during the school year.) Hope all this makes sense!
Oh so true Mrs. T, we are so very blessed.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you here, Sandy. Have a wonderful weekend!
DeleteWell said ! Happy Blessed Saint Patrick's Day !
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cindy! Hope your day was nice also. Have a blessed weekend!
DeleteLoved getting to read one of your devotions, Mrs T! We are truly blessed! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed reading, Mrs. Smith! This wasn't one of my more exciting pages, but it was what I wanted to share for St. Patrick's Day. You have a nice weekend too! Ours is looking busy and I still owe you that email! One of these days ...
DeleteThank you for reminding blogdom that it's not luck at all. We give our Lord all the glory and thanks for the blessings He richly bestows on us moment by moment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the positive comments you have put on my blog of late. Your encouragement is certainly a blessing to m!
Yes, indeed, luck has nothing at all to do with the good things we are blessed with. To God be the glory!
DeleteYou're welcome ... I have enjoyed reading a bit in your archives and would love to spend more time there as my schedule allows.