Today we are blessed by a treat from a published author Lynn Coulter. Here’s an excerpt from her latest book Little Mercies: Celebrating God’s Everyday Grace and Goodness published this month by B&H Books! Read, enjoy & be blessed!

““The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psa. 145:9, KJV)

You’ve probably heard what the Psalmist said about a happy life: “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psa. 118:23-25). But real joy, that deep, unquenchable, wonder-full feeling that comes from knowing and loving God, and feeling Him love you back, is missing from a lot of ordinary lives.

After all, what are we supposed to be so happy about nowadays? All you have to do is look around to see that we’re living in a broken, fallen world. There is so much bad news that it’s fair to ask: is there any other kind?

Yes, there is. There is some very Good News indeed, and it has a name. Jesus.

If you know Him, but you’re living a life that feels weighed down with trouble or despair, then you need to know Him better.

In Italy, there’s a wonderful preschool that bears a motto carved over its entrance: “Nothing without joy.” It simply means that whatever you’re doing, you should go through your life with joy. Because of Jesus, we have a choice, even when bad things happen, to meet each day with enthusiasm and energy, courage and optimism, and wild, crazy, even inexplicable happiness.

It can be a challenge to see God’s little mercies amid all the noise and anxieties. He didn’t promise us easy lives. But He did promise to stick with us, no matter what, and He has sprinkled millions of tender mercies everywhere to remind us that He loves us and He will never let us go.

God really is in the details. He multiplies the microscopic krill in the oceans so the whales can feed, and lights up the dark with our silvery moon. He puts the graceful curl in a snail’s shell; the cool, soft feel in the grass under your bare feet; and the brilliant red in a ripe tomato.

If you’re not accustomed to looking closely and living deeply, you may have to slow down to find God’s myriad mercies, but with practice, everyone can grow a grateful heart.

Little mercies are earthworms that loosen the rock-hard soil in a garden; the laughter you hear on a playground; and a second chance at anything. Some show up as pets or animal companions. Others experienced only once, as strangers who touch our lives and then move on. God’s gifts can be as small as a postcard from a friend or as big and extravagant as a sunset over the ocean.

Tiny mercies are purring cats, good jokes, and love letters; refreshing naps, safe journeys, and clear weather for a Friday night football game. They are teachers who love to teach, a fish on your line, an open road, and songs and dreams and birthdays.

Life is hard, but God is good, and hope and joy come from learning to see, really see.

Despite everything that’s wrong and worrisome, I believe the world is absolutely fabulous, packed down and overflowing with wonder and grace. The so-called ordinary stuff of life is quite extraordinary after all, when you recognize God’s hand in it.

My prayer is that we can learn to pause in our busy lives and taste the sweetness and honey that flow from God’s little mercies. Life can be a challenge or a chore, but it’s also bursting with bounty, beauty, joy, and adventure. For that, we can be grateful. “

End of excerpt, adapted from Little Mercies: Celebrating God’s Everyday Grace and Goodness, by Lynn Coulter (B&H Books, March 2011). Lynn Coulter is also the author of Mustard Seeds: Thoughts on the Nature of God and Faith (also by B&H Books, 2008). Find our more about Lynn and her books at www.LynnCoulter.com