Gratitude Attitude

How is it that we are sitting on the midway mark of November?  It has been a busy month so far.  (Aren't they all?)  The first week of this month (and much of the previous month) always finds me in apoplectic production of all things faithfully crafty for our church's holiday bazaar.  The second week usually finds me in a less frenetic but still fruitful flurry of fulfilling special orders from said bazaar.  This year it also found me fulfilling jury duty.  And delving into the beautiful, inspiring world of Pinterest in my spare (ha ha!) time.  And prepping for our monthly Bible study.  And raiding my kids candy bags from Halloween.  And missing 31 Days of Prayer, the joy of immersing myself in conversation with God.

All good things.  I am grateful for each.  And as I make "Give Thanks" banners I am praying thanks for God's gifts.  And I am praying to focus less on feeling busy and more on feeling full.  Of the good stuff.  Of God's love and peace and grace.  Of the Holy Spirit.  Of life on Earth and the promise of eternal life in Heaven.

Dear Lord,

You are the God of all goodness, Giver of glorious gifts.

I am so humbly grateful...

1. for my relationship with you which sustains and saves me every day
2. for my husband, darling and funny, loveable 99% of the time (especially when he calls just to say I looked cute this morning)
3. for my daughter, grinning and giggly, so in love with her world of music and friends and cartwheels and books and math; oh do I love how she loves the challenge of math!
4. for my son, snuggly and warm, comfortable in his own skin whether he's quietly reading, rambunctiously supplying sound effects in some warrior pretending, playing with the dog, bubbling over with pinewood derby eagerness
5. for our home, complete with crafty messes, dirty baseboards, things to do, laundry to wash, dishwasher to empty; the walls are solid, the rooms are warm, and the mood embraces our family and friends and our Lord
6. for my friends who laugh with me, craft with me, pray with me, play with me, sip coffee and commiserate and listen and encourage and brighten my days with their thoughtful caring
7. for my parents and in-laws, for everything, but most of all for generous love and solid foundation
8. for our church that gives much and asks much, providing meaningful opportunities to help others and enrich worship and be God's hands and heart in this world
9. for our neighborhood and community, for the ways we are knit together and the ways we reach out to those who are less fortunate
10. for the sweet delight of a Reese's peanut butter cup, and for the rare and precious occasion when I am content to eat just one!

Thank you for being such an awesome God — omnipotent and omniscient, yet tender and loving, too.  All goodness comes from you.

Amen

Start your list today.  Find ten gifts from God that make your heart sing, your eyes delight, your day bright.  Warning: you may not be able to stop at ten... and that's okay!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

15 | Working for Goodness' Sake

 Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt

Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Jan 01, 1959

TGIF!  (Yeah, I'm cheating a little by posting twice today and getting a jump start on Saturday.)  The end of the work week.  The start of an indulgent weekend, which for this lady means a sewing bonanza with my sister and our friend while Mr. and the kiddos are out of town.  Wheeeeee!  (See why I wanted to work ahead?  More time to sew and socialize!  Yippeeeeee!!!)

As we unwind from our typical weekday work, let's pray about the wondrous work God has in mind for us.

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

Lord, you have put me here on earth, in this family, in this corner of the world, to do some good.  I trust in your plan, though I don't see it clearly.

God, this world is littered with messages, ads, bulletins...  I'm trying to tune into your channel, to focus on your message.  Grant me your benevolent perspective.  Help me to see the needs of others before I see my own.  Show me how I can administer to the needs of others — how I can be your hands, your heart, your words.  I want to empty myself of my limitations and mistakes, and open myself to being a reflection of your peace, joy, and love.  But I cannot do this on my own.  Lead me with your Spirit, and show me the good works I can do to glorify you today.

I'm slowly realizing that your good works aren't always BIG works, but little things done with your super-sized love.  

Sometimes the works you have prepared for me seem menial, mundane.  Tending the home fires, the dishes, the laundry.  I am trying abandon my habit of doing these things in a grumbling, resentful fashion.  When I am in faithful frame of mind I count the blessings of active, creative children as witnessed in grass-stained jeans and paint-splattered shirts.  I praise you for the bounty of good food we eat as I scrape dishes and scrub pans.  I pray as I vacuum and dust and declutter, grateful for the comfortable home you have entrusted to us.

Sometimes the works you have in mind for me look and sound more like interruptions.  A daughter who NEEDS!!!!! some fabric scraps for her latest creation (and a little Mom Time & Attention in the crafty corner).  A son whose angry meltdown is a cry for some snuggly love that he's afraid he might be outgrowing.  A friend whose phone call is more than a social check in, but a plea for a accepting, listening ear.  Help me to see these interruptions as your nudge to do loving work in my family and among my friends.

Sometimes the works you have planned for me seem big, intimidating, even scary.  Like your call to pray publicly for 31 Days.  Your direction pointing me to teach in an inner-city school for six years. And then your redirection for me to be a stay-at-home mom.  Each time you supply the means and the encouragement right along with the mission.  I hear you in the positive comments from new and old friends who check out this blog.  I hear you in the mentors you have wisely placed along every daunting journey.  I hear you in my friends' nodding-bobble-head commiseration of I-too-understand-the-dark-and-frustrating-days-of-motherhood.

Thank you for the good works you have prepared for me to do.  I feel blessed that you have created a specific plan for me to share your light and your love in my corner of the world.  And I am grateful for all the help you provide along the way.  Make me an enthusiastic and successful executor of your good works.

Amen.

"We have not been saved by our works—we have been saved for His works!"

Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself

I hope you delight in doing God's good work today!

10 | Home Sweet Home

May this post find you in a safe and sacred place that feels like home.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

Isaiah 32:18

Dear Lord, 

As I look around our house that Mr. and I just cleaned yesterday for our Bible Study gathering, I am so grateful for this home, currently clutter free and orderly, solidly built and protecting our loved ones.  When we keep on top of the daily detritus, it is a home that welcomes our family and friends, a space that embraces us with peace.  Thank you for breathing your joy and faith-filled fellowship into our home last night; thank you for providing safe shelter for us each day.

In addition to thanks, I also have to utter pleas for forgiveness.  Forgive us for the quarrels and tantrums and nagging that go into taking care of our house.  Forgive us for the ugly emotional dirt behind the picking up and the cleaning.  Those battles gnaw at our souls.  I desperately want to find a better way to tend our home and hearth so that the heart of our home drums out a beat that is strong, loving, true.  Give us patience and creativity along with sponges and mops and garbage cans.  Give us thankful hearts as we dust and polish the provisions you have entrusted to us.

Lord, I want our home to be a serene, welcome sanctuary where we can rest our souls and bodies.  Help me to tend to the spiritual needs of our family and home, as well as the physical needs.  Help me to make this space a soft landing place.  I need deep breaths as I unlock the door.  I need warm hugs as I embrace loved ones returning home and guests crossing the threshold.  I need attentive ears to embrace hurts and victories, hard questions and slow answers.  I need soft words to coach, encourage, help and heal.  

What I most need is you, central and strong, abiding in our abode.  Make sure I make our home a sanctuary for you.  Help me to fill it with literal and figurative reminders of your absolute power and your saving grace.  Help me to clothe it in things that encourage quiet time with you.  Help me to clear it of the clutter that distracts and distorts your message of unconditional love.

I pray that today — as I swipe the sink and deodorize the dirty laundry — you will help me to foster the attitudes that cradle us in our abode, invite us to comfortably be ourselves, and encourage us to connect faithfully with each other and with you, our Living Lord.  Please make yourself so very comfortably at home in our humble home.

Amen.

How is God making your home a sanctuary for him and for your family?  How can your living space clearly point to our Living Lord?

There are dozens of fabulous 31 Dayers dedicated to making their homes safe sanctuaries, and generously sharing their ideas.  Here are just a few!