November 10th – A Little Appreciation

Listening to the Holy Spirit:

The magnificence of creation is not of its own, for all is maintained by My hand. There is no mind of beast or care of man that is not fully by My breath. I bring life from death, and light in darkness. In warmth I come to coldness, in substance from void. The depth of man’s debt is beyond fathom, and the love of the Father without measure. My ears hear the speaking of the heart, but the heart knows not the depth of its owe. In prayers of thanksgiving the mouth stills for lack of words, the mind for lack of breadth, yet I hear and am pleased greatly by the attempt. He who returns grateful knows already partially what will be revealed fully, and as a child’s embrace is gentle in strength, its power elevates the heaviest of fathers’ hearts. For each of My own, this day is remembered in perfection, as the humble hearts return to He who has reached for them first, and in each return, the infinite love of He who loves perfectly, reflects perfectly again. I hear your heart of thanksgiving, and in joy is the heart of your Father.

Ps 107:1 (ESV) – Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Luke 17:15-18 (ESV) – Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Ps 100:4 (ESV) – Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Taking It to Work:

In general, it is not until later in life that a son or daughter will truly appreciate what was done for them when they lived at home. Mom’s lasagna, Dad’s help with the tools, family vacations, school clothes, free A/C and heat, clean sheets and a refrigerator that seemed to fill itself! It doesn’t take long once they are on their own to understand how much Mom and Dad provided, and how many years they took most of those gifts for granted.

Well, it doesn’t stop with the young adult. Ungratefulness in the moment seems truly a human condition. The truth is, even though we believe wholeheartedly in God’s existence and love for us, we cannot imagine how integral God’s hand really is in our life. We may see the big stuff – our health, our education, the country and society we get to live in, job stability, promotions, the food on our table, but we don’t really grasp how our Creator God sustains us every day in infinite, invisible detail. From the systems in our body, to the systems of the cosmos; from the many answered prayers, to the million other unknown interventions for which we didn’t even know to pray.

Like the blessings of good parents, His blessings are ever-flowing, innumerable and our understanding of all that we are receiving, even in this very minute, is painfully limited; even so – He is pleased with our heartfelt, “Thank You”. There are so many scriptures that point us in that very healthy direction of being continually thankful, not only for what He has done, but what He’s doing for you right now.

If you’re getting ready to leave for work, or if you already there, take a few minutes to thank Him for His blessings in your life, seen and unseen. With that grateful prayer, like a child’s little hug, you will bring great joy to the Father; and to you, a renewed sense of how blessed and loved you are, as His Word works in you, today.