What if......?

[all the pictures are from the ones I took on the cruise]


I heard a quote the other day that went something like this:
"What if I wake up tomorrow and all I have left is what I gave thanks for today?"

That is powerful.  I mean do I really realize that everything I have....EVERY THING... is from God..  Without His provision in my life, His providence, His provision, His creation, His sustenance, His grace, I would have nothing, zippo, nauda, not one thing--not even life..

And that is a truth we don't really grasp because we think He is too great to be really involved in the little, mundane things of life.We give thanks for the "big" things but when we start writing down the little things, like toothpaste, or giggles, or yellow, or purple, or the smell of rhubarb-strawberry pie baking, we feel silly.

Sometimes we think about God's attributes describing Him with words like: Holiness, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Almighty Creator, Everlasting, and so on.  Words that are high and lifted up.  Words that almost seem to separate Him from us.  Words that describe something far beyond my comprehension.

From those thoughts, we go on to feel like He is far from us, that we actually need to keep Him at a distance because He is so much higher than us.  We feel like since He is God Almighty and Holy and set apart, we have to come to Him with kid gloves on...we need to be careful how we approach Him for fear of His disapproval, or even worse we fear that He won't listen to us, He won't hear our prayers, our giving of thanks unless we do it right....unless we are righteous and treat Him according to His Divine nature.

And so we don't come, or we seldom come.  Our giving of thanks is only for who He is, for what He has done for us in salvation, in sending His only Son to die for us.  We thank Him for the big things--life, health, sovereignty.  We only really pray when we are rested up so we can focus; when we are in a mood to worship Him as He should be worshiped; when we know exactly what we need to pray for.

And so we don't give thanks much and we really don't pray much.  Perhaps we are afraid that He will actually hear us or worse yet, we really don't believe He hears us because we aren't doing it right.

This morning our pastor said "Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing badly." and I'm sure that applies to the counting of gifts, the giving of thanks and to prayer.

And so I am once again challenged to "just do-it!"  Begin working more and more on that list of 1000 gifts that includes the good, the bad, the ugly, the mundane, the silly, the fun and the not so fun...just begin looking and writing. I need to begin being thankful to Him.

And again, as I am rereading A Praying Life in connection with a community of women, I want to pray...how?
Often...
   About everything....
         Everywhere I am......
               For specific people......
                     For my church, my pastors, my elders, my friends, my enemies, my family...
                           For my world, the starving, the cold, the hurt, the athiests--especially the athiests...
                                  For my brothers and sisters all over the world who are hurting and dying...
                                        For the unloved and the lonely
                                             For you and for me

Oh, God, I just want to talk to you, to share with you my hurts, my loniliness, my frustrations;
I need to listen to you as you tell me of your love, your grace, your compassion, your peace.

Father, help me to see your Holiness, your Divine Power, your Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, your Providence in every single second of my day in all the little things, the silly things.

Help me to understand that you are both High and Lifted Up and that you are lowly and meek, a friend of sinners.

You are my friend, my confidant, my comforter.  You love me...me who has been covered in the righteousness of your only Beloved Son. And yet You are my GOD, the creator of the universe that is beyond my comprehension, my understanding.

O God, you are my God!! and I will ever praise you for ALL of it!! for ALL I see around me.

Thank You, FATHER!! for...


#441...For colorful birds...that eat apples out of  hands (mine) in the Bahamas


#442...For violas...hundreds of them...in soil, in rocks, in sand, in water...everywhere...tougher than nails at home


#443...For Iris's blooming, early, always early


$444...For cameras to capture to beauty of your world at home and in the Bahamas


#445...For blankets to curl up under and be warm


#446...For others who want to grow in you and your word and pray more


#447...For a perfect day to sit on the deck with others and share what you are teaching us about prayer

#448...For baby sitters to care for the young children while we shared


#449...For water...water to drink, to shower with, to flush toilets with, to fill the pond, to water grass and flowers with, to clean with, to freeze into ice-cubes...for WATER, pure and refreshing


#450...For beautiful spring days blooming with green...grass, flowers, trees, birds, and sweet smells


#451...For lilacs.....the color, the smell, the tiny blooms


#452...For a trip...to refresh....to enjoy...to see new things


#453...For Your Word...to convict...to comfort...to cherish because every Word is from YOU!