Safe...

for he guards the course of the just 
   and protects the way of his faithful ones..

Proverbs 2:8(NIV)

"Lead us to the place,
guide us with Your grace
To a place where we'll be safe."

from The Prayer

by

David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager

It is four weeks today that I’ve been praying for my husband.  As we walked the dog, I told him today’s prayer was for his continued guidance and protection.  He thanked me.  Actually, he said something more like, “I really appreciate your prayers.”  It wasn’t what he said, it was that he said it.  He knows that I continually seek God’s covering over his days and his life, but the simple act of thanking me meant so much.  In the safety of intimate relationships…how often do we practice courtesy?

Do you say please and thank you? Always? Or do you assume it is inferred in the context of intimate relationships.  Lately we’ve had conversations in our home regarding common courtesy.  According to a 2002 study titled Aggravating Circumstances: A Status Report on Rudeness in America,  79% of Americans say “lack of respect and courtesy should be regarded as a serious national problem”, while “73 percent believe Americans did treat one another with greater respect in the past.”   Just because we feel safe in amongst our most intimate family and friends, shouldn’t we be more inclined to guard and protect those relationships by not taking them for granted?

My beloved thanked me, and though I knew from the first moment that he was (thankful), he said so.  Lord, please remind us to take great care not only of those whom we love but the relationships in which we exist.  Remind us often to say so.  A simple “thanks”…just another reminder that God is Good.