You are my
portion, Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
I have promised to obey your words.
I have
sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
be gracious to me according to your promise.
I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
Psalms 119:57-60 (NIV)
Author
Melody Beattie puts it’s simply…
Gratitude
unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It
turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn
a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude
makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for
tomorrow.
“I just
want to thank You, Lord.” So said my mommy days ago, pointing me squarely in
the direction of grateful. She wrote,
I just want to thank
you Lord. Your grace and mercy brought me through… I'm moving slowly this
morning. No real reason to rush... It's a beautiful morning, although the sun
is not shinning. If God chooses it doesn't have to shine every morning. So
let’s just thank him for what is. Have a great day. Peace and Goodwill
upon you and yours. Love, Mom
Mommy has
given her home, time and energy over to caring for her ailing mother. She could
find other ways to manage this task, there are sufficient resources, sufficient
insurance. However, she takes seriously the notion of honoring her mother. She
is grateful to have a living parent at her age; grateful to have the capacity
and the resources to provide extraordinary care to her in her home. She has unlocked the fullness of life. She,
despite her own health and other challenges, daily exhibits grace and
gratitude.
Matthew Henry’s commentary on the 119th Psalm tells us in
part, “there is no situation on earth in which a believer has not cause
to be thankful.” Simple. Gratitude is more than just a choice. It is an
obligation. I’ve taken on surrender, and it’s working, but it’s not enough. I
need to be immersed in gratitude. It is
the reason I began to write this blog. It is the journey upon which I embarked
nearly 2 years ago.
There are
so many reasons to be grateful, and not enough time to thank God for it all,
but I can try. Thank you, Lord, for all of it. Let my actions show my
gratitude. Let my movements be an act of thanks. Let all that I am, all that I
know, all that I do be an offering of thanks for it all. “Gratitude
makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for
tomorrow.” I want that. I am willing to work for it. It will become who I am.
Along with new mercies, each day brings new revelations. Just another reminder
that God is good.
On Mondays, I pray and play with friends here...
http://www.thebeautyinhisgrip.com http://www.michellederusha.com
