Learning to live for HIS glory

Great and mighty God, I praise You for being.... My all-sufficient One. The Great I AM. Holy. Loving. Just. Kind and good. Gracious, slow to anger. The Giver of all good gifts. Perfect. The Sacrifice that set me free. Ancient of Days. Glorious. All-powerful. Full of light and truth. All that is good. My hope. My salvation. My righteousness. My purity. Jehovah Jireh...God who provides. The One with power to shut the mouths of lions... Power to raise the dead. You are goodness and grace. You offer abundant grace! Life. You are abundant life. You're the Maker of life, The Sustainer of life. Thank You for all that You are! For being King over everything. For holding the universe in Your hand, Keeping the planets spinning, And my lungs breathing. You are SO great and greatly to be praised! Thank You for choosing and loving me as Your daughter. I adore You.

This week's ramblings on how I'm seeing God's blessings in my daily life: Hmm...where to start.... Daffodils on my desk. Home. Watching the world from an airplane. The joy of talking to a random 7 year old on my late night journey. Window seats. Running through downpours. Honest conversations. Seeing God clearly answer prayers: In big ways and little ways. The fact that God's Word never returns void. Joyful new beginnings. God's sense of humor. Scholarship news. Good friends who pray and give sound advice. Nurse friends to call on for medical help. My family, and time spent with ALL of them! And 5 minutes is up... :)

Life lately has held some interesting twists and turns, and I've found myself amidst unfamiliar surroundings rather often these past couple weeks.  (like last night when I sat next to 7 year old Devon on the plane and learned an awful lot about sharks!) Sometimes though, I need those strange surroundings, because in the middle of "just normal," I can start to simply float along...not remembering how much I need to live dependent.  Because I've got this, right?  I know how to live my life... Haha.  NO. Throw me in the middle of unfamiliar circumstances, and I start to remember how VERY  much I need Jesus!  His life in me is what makes my life matter.  So thankful for that...for His Spirit's guidance and work in my every day--whether my day is "normal" or not!

Thursday's practice of counting blessings is becoming a highlight of my week... :) Songs that fit the soundtrack of my life: "Whatever You're Doing" "My Eyes are on You" Sunshiny days. Sunroofs. Friends that stick through thick and thin and shoe shopping. Glowing. Gospel truths portrayed in real life. The pleasant unexpected. Answered prayer. Jesus. Watching the threads of His plan weave together. Joy. Smiles and tears. Plane tickets:) Sisters. Sister time. Countdowns! New life. Cute kiddos. Journaled prayers. New running shoes. Singing. Space to be real. Katie Joy. Jokes. Eager listeners. Hugs. Rest after craziness. Peace that doesn't make sense.  ... Ok, I took more like 10 minutes today to write out all that...and I'm sure I could count more, but for now this suffices.  

Today, in the middle of the crazy, for just 5 short minutes, I'm going to pause and praise God for each moment He gives...and these blessings: Friends who speak truth. Beautiful melody lines. Hard work. Dependence lessons in running. Joy. Laughter. Teasing that proves I'm loved...SO much. Bright and cheery lights when it's gray outside. Pink paper. To-Do lists. Checked off items on said lists :) Teamwork. Shiny clean hardwood floors. Bare branches silhouetted against the sky. Hope of warmth tomorrow. Faithful farmers working. Guests who stop to chat. Boys hiding Easter eggs (so I don't freeze!) Hope found in Christ's Resurrection. Early morning prayer warriors. Prayer warriors, period. Editors. Honest opinions. The food I need. Little kiddo snuggle time.

If not my absolute favorite, then Easter is definitely one of my favorite days of the year.  There is just so much to celebrate!  So much joy is mine because of what happened in history over 2000 years ago.  Wow.  It's hard to fathom that long span of time.  Nevertheless, what I celebrate today has been bringing joy to thousands for all of these years. It's hard for me to put into words all that I think about on Easter.  It's a day that usually involves tears and exultant singing, quiet reflection and much rejoicing.  It's a day that stirs the jubilant longing of my heart.  For although every day is a day to remember the abundant life I have because of my Savior's sacrifice, Easter is an awesome reminder of just how much He did for me. If I could go back to anytime in history, I think I'd go back to that first "Easter" weekend.  I wonder what it would have been like.  (You can see my musings on some of that from about a year ago her...

And some days I'm mindful of the fact that there is SO much to praise God for. So much, that I don't quite know where to start. But my insufficient praise, is better than no praise at all . . .  So Lord, I praise and thank you for: Blue skies. A body with the strength to run. Freshly plowed fields. Tea. Words of life inhabiting my soul. Grace. Your robes of righteousness clothing me. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus my Messiah. Good books. Friends who pray. Opportunities to pray. Galatians 2:20. Fresh air and sunshine. Life...abundant life. Words phrased into sentences depicting real life. Green and purple pens. Headphones. Morning's spent with the Lover of my soul. Your constant presence. Naps. Work. Family. And 5 minutes of gratitude can truly fly away . . .