Give Thanks

The sun hasn’t come up yet but I know it will so I will give thanks. The birds haven’t started singing but they will soon and I await their song with a grateful heart.

I haven’t spoken to my children yet but I know that their texts and calls will come today so I say “thank you Lord” for blessing me with their lives. My husband is still sleeping but when he wakes up he will give me a kiss and tell me he loves me and so I will give thanks.

I have strength and health this morning so I give thanks. There is electricity in my home and food in the cupboards so I give thanks.

There are so many things to be thankful for I just have to give thanks to the Lord for He is good!

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. And He saved them from their suffering. 20 He sent His Word and healed them. And He saved them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness and His great works to the children of men! 22 Let them give Him gifts of thanks and tell of His works with songs of joy.” Psalm 107:19-22 NLV

We have much to be thankful for. Personally you may be in a difficult spot, things may not be as you would like them to be but God is in control and He can be trusted, so trust Him.

The Israelites left Egypt and immediately began to complain, they didn’t see God’s vision for the future but it is good, very good. The disciples complained to Jesus that they didn’t have enough food to feed the 5000 – all they had were five loaves of bread and two fish. But God had a plan and everyone ate their fill and then they collected the leftovers.

“Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLV

Pray about your needs, give thanks and let your heart be filled with peace.

Give thanks!

Talking to the Kids

With all of our children living away from us, we enjoy having them call and hearing what’s going on in their lives. It’s better than FB because we get to hear their voices and its personal, just us and them. Some of those conversations are just about day to day life while others ask for advice. The “how do I do…” or “do you we think we should…” are very special. It means they think we have the knowledge and/or ability to give them direction; they want our input.

Our kids are also very good to call for no special reason. They just want to say “I love you” and see how we are doing.

Very special indeed.

And then there are the times that the grandkids call – oh my! They want our help or our knowledge on a particular subject. Just doesn’t get much better than that!

“Grandchildren are the pride and joy of old age, and children take great pride in their parents.” Proverbs 17:6 ERV

Our heavenly Father loves to hear from us too. He knows us, He knows our heart. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and wants to be there for us through each and every situation. He also likes to hear us say “No special reason for this chat Father, I just want to say I love you”.

His love is unconditional!

“The Lord is kind and merciful.  He is patient and full of love. He does not always criticize.
 He does not stay angry with us forever. 10 We sinned against him, but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved. 11 His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is as kind to his followers  as a father is to his children.” Psalm 103:8-13 ERV

Let’s spend time with the Father today – He really likes to talk to His kids.

Time to Play and Pray

What a wonderful weekend!

We were with our youngest daughter’s family; Kaci, Stephen, Sam and Kristine. It is such a joy to live closer to our daughters and be able to spend time with them. Those years in Montana had us living too far away. We can be to everyone in just a couple of hours, even our son is only a couple hours by air.

This last weekend was NASCAR weekend in Phoenix. As you know, Dave and I are big race fans. That’s how we roll. The kids all grew up knowing the names of car drivers and their team owners. So, this race was special. It was Kaci’s first time to a NASCAR race. She compared it to going to the Super Bowl for someone who grew up in a football family. Stephen enjoyed it as well. It was a great day!

Saturday night was play time with the grandkids. Sam had been telling me on the phone that he wanted us to watch Lightning McQueen when we came. Now most of you with littler children may have seen the Disney movie, Cars, but we hadn’t. Sam had several favorite spots and wanted to make sure we saw them all. Little Kristine would shout “go, go, go” during some of the race scenes and then dance with the music. It was a family event. Sam knew we were going to the race the next day and I think this was his way of joining in.

This was one of the first times I had seen the grandkids since my back procedure and it was so special to be picking them up, having them crawl over my lap, wiggle and squirm and playing toys on the floor without pain. Thank you Lord!

But the best time of all was putting them to bed, getting them in their jammies and saying prayers. Kristine cuddled in during prayer time, gave tight hugs and kisses and then she was off to sleep. Sam picked out a book to read and then we had prayers. He prayed along with me. He had so many things on his mind he wanted to thank Jesus for, people he wanted to pray for and things he wanted to pray about. We were in no rush. There was plenty of time to make sure everything was covered in prayer.

What a blessing!

I couldn’t help but think that our heavenly Father’s heart must have been filled to overflowing with the love and childlike faith of my little grandson. I know mine was. Such a joy to see the love for the Lord that this little man has. It was definitely a weekend of making family memories.

These two verses came to mind as I was thinking on our time together.

“Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right.” Proverbs 22:6 CEV

“Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:16-17 CEV

Whatever we do can, and should, be a time to thank the Lord for His love and provision. It may be something as simple as watching a movie, going to a race or saying bedtime prayers. They are all opportunities to give thanks.

What small things are you going to praise the Lord for today?