good gifts

Sunday, December 20, 2009 (5:44 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Good morning. Thank You. I love You. And right now I am feeling fear in my heart.

I’m wanting to be honest with You. No pretense. No attempts of 'faking it until I’m making it'. I just want to share my heart and let You take it from there.

Thank You Lord that even in being that open I am again reminded of Your many good gifts to us. Thank You that Your Son and Your Word lead the list!

Thank You that in my decision to just be real with You, I get to focus on You and all You have to offer instead of continue to think of all the things I’m afraid of.

Thank You Lord. Truly, sincerely thank You! Thank You for the unknown author who recorded “the history of David’s reign to encourage and admonish the people of Israel as they sought to rebuild after the Babylonian exile.” Here I am again in 1 Chronicles, smiling, feeling hopeful and praising You.

Thank You God! Everywhere I turn in here are words of hope and joy. Lord, You brought this very good gift (my Life Recovery Bible) into my life at least fifteen Christmases ago. Remember how disappointed I was upon receiving it Lord? It remained unopened for over a month.

Too often I don’t recognize Your good gifts to us Lord. Even as I sit here reading David’s words to his son Solomon and to his people, I glance out the window finding another good gift from You.

Lord! The colors You have infused into the fleece-like cloud layer blanketing Your sky is breath taking. What a phenomenal view. Thank You for such a good gift as this.

Beloved God, thank You for infusing me with more glimpses of Your hope and joy. My heart yearns to burst out wanting people to see this, desiring that we would all get to know You better through Your beauty. These particularly vibrant colors that are indeed here this one moment and will be gone the next.

Thank You God that You are not like that! You are eternal! You will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

“Oh my God!” was truly my gasp as I again glanced out the window. Yellows, orange, pinks, purple, blue and just a hint of gray for incredible contrast. Thank You Lord! Thank You for such an extraordinary good gift as this!

Lord, I love You so very much. Thank You for calling me to a true time of worship with You this morning. Thank You for helping me know that I needed far more than just empty lip service. And thank You, most of all, for providing every single thing to meet those needs.

Oh Your Goodness Lord! Your great, incredible goodness! As the yellow turns to gold and the pinks begin to fade, the fleeciness is tearing apart and lumping together to reveal more of the sky. Thank You Lord for providing me with this completely unexpected, tremendously appreciated, wonderful good gift with which to begin the day.

Let me take the power of it with me throughout this day Dearest Lord. Allow me to fall back on the memory of its beauty reminded that You are truly the Giver of good gifts. Thank You Lord. I love You! Amen.

(560 words ~ 6:50 a.m.)