On a Picnic with Jesus

Today I went to the park by myself. I made a grilled cheese, packed some pretzels and an apple and headed to the river. I sat on my beloved Koala blanket and proceeded to soak in the sunshine. It was a beautiful day. When I finished lunch I did some report cards for the kids, and then just decided to spend the afternoon with Jesus. Usually I journal my prayers and I start with praise and thanksgiving for blessings and situations that He is working out, and then I will move on to prayer for myself and other people. But today was different. Today I journaled and began with praise and thanksgiving, but I never moved on from that. I've praised Him and thanked Him before in this way, but today was just different. I was simply on a picnic with Jesus. I began to understand better what it means when God fills your cup. I was overflowing and it felt so good. It was a Living Water day. He gave me joy, and showed me beauty, He allured me into the desert and spoke tenderly to me. He smiled at me and delighted in me. It was such a beautiful moment that I will always treasure. And then today at church we took Communion and Pastor Eddie preached on Communion. The praise and thanks just continued. I got to know Him a little better this afternoon, and appreciate Him for His sacrifice. I also realized something new today too. Pastor Eddie was talking about how Jesus' body was never broken and how it is one of the prophecies regarding Him. And then he referenced the breaking of bread during Communion. He explained it like this, in Communion, we break the bread in order to share it. It does not symbolize Christ's broken body, because Christ's body was not broken. It is to be shared so that all may partake and remember the sacrifice. I had never heard this said before. It makes so much sense and I think is important to consider, and I enjoyed seeing Communion in a new way. I'm reminded of the lyrics to one of my favorite hymns. "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean. How Marvelous, how Wonderful and my song shall ever be. How Marvelous how Wonderful is my Saviors love for me."