By Kim Taylor Henry

Those who seek me find me. . . . My fruit is better than fine gold.
—Proverbs 8:17, 19 (NIV)

“No matter how awful my day has been, there are always some gifts of beauty in it, however small. Every night I review my day and ask God to help me find them, and he always does.”

When I heard those words from a friend who’s battling a serious illness, a memory rose and settled gently on my mind. . . . I’m about eight years old. My grandpa stands next to me at a large backyard metal tub filled with water. He reaches into a bucket of deep brown creek-bottom mud and places some in his gold-mining pan and in mine. He drizzles water in and expertly circles his pan, swirling the liquid into and through the mud, patiently showing me how. I try it. Sure enough, within a few minutes, the sludge gives way to fine black sand amid which tiny golden nuggets sparkle.

My friend’s comments remind me God is our expert gold miner. No matter how dirty or dark our days, they hold nuggets of beauty, of God’s wonders—gifts of life as it is meant to be. He helps us sift through the muck and mire of even our worst and most difficult times, revealing specks of splendor. We can pick out those bits of loveliness, treasure them, and throw the mud away.

Thank you, my friend. The next time my day has seemed muddy and bleak, I’ll do some gold-panning with our God and discover nuggets worth more than fine gold.

Thank You, Lord, that even our darkest days contain the shimmer of Your wonders. We need only seek, and with You we will find.

________

Taken from Daily Guideposts 2019 by Guideposts. Click here to learn more about this title.

Daily Guideposts, America’s bestselling annual devotional, is a 365-day devotional from the Editors of Guideposts that will help readers grow in their faith every day of the year.

Daily Guideposts 2019 centers on the theme “In the Shadow of Your Wings,” based on Psalm 91:4, and is filled with brand-new devotions from 50 writers. Each day readers will enjoy a Scripture verse, a true first-person story told in an informal, conversational style, which shares the ways God speaks to us in the ordinary events of life, and a brief prayer to help focus the reader to apply the day’s message. For those who wish for more, “Digging Deeper” provides additional Bible references that relate to the day’s reading.

Enjoy favorite writers like Kim Taylor Henry, Debbie Macomber, Edward Grinnan, Elizabeth Sherrill, Patricia Lorenz, Julia Attaway, Karen Barber, Sabra Ciancanelli, Marion Bond West, Mark Collins, and Rick Hamlin.

In just five minutes a day, Daily Guideposts helps readers find the spiritual richness in their own lives and welcomes them into a remarkable family of over one million people brought together by a desire to grow every day of the year.

Kim Taylor Henry of Elizabeth, Colorado, says the highlight of her year was a trip to the Holy Lands. Being baptized in the Jordan was a thrill. Another thrill this year was the publication of her first solo book, Making God Smile, Living the Fruit of the Spirit One Day at a Time. Kim tells us, “It’s for those of you who, like me, want to live a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and more, but find ourselves acting in unloving ways, irritable, unkind, harsh, losing self-control, and lacking peace.” Kim would love to have you join her on a journey to living life as God intended. Check it out at kimtaylorhenry.com.