THANKFUL

Friday, November 15, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

The blessings just keep piling up, Lord. They never end. One of your great attributes is your kindness and goodness to all humanity. You raise the sun every dayon the just and the unjust, the good and the evil. You send the rain to nourish and replenish the earth for the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). Lord God, you work in mysterious ways for our benefit. Thank you for your countless blessings.

Today, we give you thanks for:

• Your Spirit living forever within us, to guide us through life and keep us close to you—that is, when we pay attention to you.
• Friends who may not know just what to say but walk with us through our hardest times of life
• Puppy love
• Bible translations in modern day language
• Wrapped in a warm blanket, reading a can’t-put-it-down Tom Clancy novel, sipping a hot-toddy, while battling a cold.
• The inexplainable splendor of the leaves changing colors in the fall in Vermont
• All you can eat buffets
• Reruns of Matlock for the enjoyment of the sweet folks in the nursing homes
• Taking a rookie under our wing to mentor them in their new job
• The congeniality of the parishioners gathered at a Sunday morning country church service

Thank you, Lord, for hearing our heartfelt prayers, no matter how simple they may seem to us. Our prayers touch your heart and you’re eager to draw us to you. Thank you that you love us, even though you are well aware of every flaw we have, every fear we face, every doubt we entertain, every sin we struggle with, every temptation we yield to. Thank you that your grace covers a multitude of sins (Romans 5:15). Thank you that your Holy Spirit tells us, I know you stumble and fall, that you missed the mark, but I have not rejected you. Get up, my child, hold my hand and keep following me!

Living in the blessings of your grace, Lord Jesus. Amen.