Today's blog is in response to a challenge from the Girlfriends in God devotional for today: Counting the Ways of Love.
Dear God: I want to take the time to tell You how much I love You. First, I love You for your sacrifice. There is no pain worse than when a child dies; yet, You loved us all so much that You willingly gave Your Son to pay the debts that we can never repay. I love that You are a forgiving God. We continually choose paths that are contrary to Your Will; nonetheless, when we come to You acknowledging the errors of our ways and willing to turn our lives around, You forget the past and move us forward. I also love You for Your grace. There is no telling where I would be without Your grace. And, I understand that grace is not a license to sin; it is the gift of Your riches and blessings that I do not deserve. Furthermore, I love that You are a merciful God. There are countless actions that I have undertaken that I know should have had more dire consequences, but You spared me. There were still consequences for my actions; however, I know that it could have been much worse were it not for Your mercy. God, I want to thank You for my family. I get to experience different family dynamics all of the time, so I know how blessed I am. Thank You for saved parents who helped me to know You. Thank You for a close-knit, supportive family that is not perfect and has its differences, but when push comes to shove, we are there for each other. Moreover, I thank You for my health. I have not always had a perfectly clean bill of health; nevertheless, there has not been one ailment that has been debilitating. I still have the use of all of my senses, my limbs, and my brain, and I think sometimes we take being able to breathe for granted, so I thank You for each breath. I also want to thank You for the gifts that You have given me. I have not always used them in the way that I know You intended for them to be used, yet, You did not take them from me. Instead, You gave me the opportunity to discover how I could use them for You. Lord, I thank You for being God. I have tried to be in control of everything and it is not easy, so I am glad that I do not have to be. I am so grateful to be awakened each morning by the sun that You created peeking over the horizon. I am thankful that You will never leave me or forsake me. Even though, I battled with a fear of loneliness, You and I came out victorious. Thank You for delivering me from the dark corners of anxiety in my mind, from self-doubt, and from low self-esteem. Lord, I thank You for eternity and for a heavenly home. I thank You because I know that no matter what happens in my life and on this earth, this is not my home and physical death is not the end. Father, You are awesome and amazing and I do not deserve Your love, but I am so glad that You give it freely. Thank You. Ms. EV
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I have been watching the movie, “A Beautiful Mind” with my classes and it has really made me appreciate having a right mind. I hear it all the time in public prayers and praise reports, people thanking God for a right mind, but I think sometimes we take that gift for granted. I think we don’t realize how awesome it is to have a fully functioning brain. My step-grandmother has schizophrenia, and in some interactions with her, it is scary to think how powerful the mind is and how devastating it is when the brain has a miscue. I have had bouts with mild depression, general anxiety disorder, and as I get older, short term memory issues, but nothing as scary as schizophrenia. And, the fact that people have that disease or any mental disorder doesn’t mean that God is any less powerful, but when we see people who suffer from mental illness, it actually shows us how powerful God is. The framework of the mind is so complex that no human being could have created it. Even as I sit here typing, I am thinking about how my brain is simultaneously thinking of what to say while telling my fingers how to move to type the words and helping my eyes to see everything on the screen. It is nothing short of amazing! I don’t know how it works, but I know Who makes it work. And, I am thankful for waking up this morning and every day of my life clothed my right mind. Ms. EV
I love Walter Hawkins' music. It is timeless and relevant and pure true gospel music. One of my favorite songs of his is, "Be Grateful," I love to hear it and I love to sing it. This week I am reminded of the lyrics:
God has not promised me sunshine That's not the way it's going to be But a little rain mixed with God's sunshine A little pain makes me appreciate the good times. Being saved doesn't mean that there are no more problems. God's peace doesn't come from the absence of trouble, but from being safe in His Presence. The song reminds us to not just call on God in hard times and praise Him in good times, but to maintain a relationship filled with worship and adoration at all times. Further, the song reminds me that there are people who are facing issues much worse than mine: Be grateful because there's someone else that's worse off than you Be grateful because there's someone else who'd love to be in your shoes. I know of several people going through horrible personal tragedies right now. It doesn't mean that God loves them less than He loves me. It also doesn't mean that God cares more about their huge issues than my little issues. The Bible says, "Cast all you cares on Him; for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7. It doesn't say that God can only handle big issues. If you are a child of God and a problem bothers you; you can know it bothers God and He wants you to come to Him for a resolution. I often feel bad for taking my "small stuff" to God and then hearing that someone is going through literal hell on Earth. But, my mother reminds me that Gods wants us to give Him ALL of our burdens. The struggles of others remind us of all the good in our lives and give us an opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters through prayer and compassion. My favorite line of the song is the last one because it sums everything up with encouragement: Be grateful for it will be alright Whatever the situation, God has it under control. Even if you cannot think of a worse situation than yours, imagine if you had to go through it without God. Give thanks for having Him in your life. For, it will be alright. Ms. EV |
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