10,000 Reasons
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
The screened-in porch faces the sunrise. It's a clear sky with magnificent colors. I'm thankful.
We woke up early for a weekend - before 7 am - which allowed us plenty of time for cuddling, snuggling, tickle fights, a dog house constructed from pillows, and quality mommy/son time. I'm thankful.
It turned into a rather productive day - 5 loads of laundry, two stories worth of a clean house, clean sheets (I love clean sheet night!), organizing one of two toy boxes and getting rid of an entire bag of toys, grocery shopping, meals planned for the upcoming week, steak kabobs on the grill (I did not get this recipe online nor did any of the contents of the meal come from a box. This is a BIG deal for me!), fellowship with friends and family, and beginning and ending my day with God's words speaking to me.
Sometimes I can read, but I don't always apply. Sometimes I can read, but I don't always feel inspired. Sometimes I can read, but I don't always soak it in. It was different this time. I'm thankful.
I started out by reading Psalm 25. (A great read! Check it out.) I ended the day with Psalm 103, remembering ALL His benefits - recalling the blessings of the day - and seeking to praise Him for it. I laid my head down, filled with joy, gratitude and overflowing with blessing. It had been a "great day." Nothing monumental happened. But it was a combination of all the small things that I could now recount that added up to equal what I felt was nothing short of a blessed day.
I've posted it before, but one of my favorite quotes says, "The fact that you are alive today is proof positive God has something for you to do." I don't even know who said it. I just remember it being written in my mom's handwriting on an index card that was taped to my parents' bathroom mirror.
When I truly stop to take this statement in, it helps me realize I can waste a lot of days. But if I can open my eyes and have breath, then there is a God-given agenda for me. So often I get caught up in the mundane, the routine, the chores, the tasks, the responsibilities. Sometimes I even get caught up in the service, the success or the spotlight. This day was different. It was about the little things. Recognizing my God-given role in housework. Realizing my God-planned part in a family. Acknowledging a God-designed schedule that wasn't at all what I had planned. Can I praise God for these things?! I didn't do anything great today. But somehow He saw fit to fill my day and my heart. I'm thankful.
Recently I've had Matt Redman's song 10,000 Reasons on repeat. I don't always want to praise the Lord when I'm doing laundry, but I'm thankful for clean sheets and clothes to wear. I don't necessarily feel like blessing God when I'm navigating my way through Walmart (there are MANY other things going on in my head during this process), but I'm grateful for groceries and food to eat. I don't always feel like singing praise while doing housework, but having my praise music blasting while I'm cleaning can turn into my very own praise concert (along with the sense of satisfaction from seeing the house clean). I don't always stop to praise God for each and every thing, but if I were to truly recognize ALL His benefits, the truth is I wouldn't be able to stop giving Him praise. Were I to bless His name for each and every thing He does and gives, it would consume my day. Maybe that's the point...
I've got a list to make and some praising to do.
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
The screened-in porch faces the sunrise. It's a clear sky with magnificent colors. I'm thankful.
We woke up early for a weekend - before 7 am - which allowed us plenty of time for cuddling, snuggling, tickle fights, a dog house constructed from pillows, and quality mommy/son time. I'm thankful.
It turned into a rather productive day - 5 loads of laundry, two stories worth of a clean house, clean sheets (I love clean sheet night!), organizing one of two toy boxes and getting rid of an entire bag of toys, grocery shopping, meals planned for the upcoming week, steak kabobs on the grill (I did not get this recipe online nor did any of the contents of the meal come from a box. This is a BIG deal for me!), fellowship with friends and family, and beginning and ending my day with God's words speaking to me.
Sometimes I can read, but I don't always apply. Sometimes I can read, but I don't always feel inspired. Sometimes I can read, but I don't always soak it in. It was different this time. I'm thankful.
I started out by reading Psalm 25. (A great read! Check it out.) I ended the day with Psalm 103, remembering ALL His benefits - recalling the blessings of the day - and seeking to praise Him for it. I laid my head down, filled with joy, gratitude and overflowing with blessing. It had been a "great day." Nothing monumental happened. But it was a combination of all the small things that I could now recount that added up to equal what I felt was nothing short of a blessed day.
I've posted it before, but one of my favorite quotes says, "The fact that you are alive today is proof positive God has something for you to do." I don't even know who said it. I just remember it being written in my mom's handwriting on an index card that was taped to my parents' bathroom mirror.
When I truly stop to take this statement in, it helps me realize I can waste a lot of days. But if I can open my eyes and have breath, then there is a God-given agenda for me. So often I get caught up in the mundane, the routine, the chores, the tasks, the responsibilities. Sometimes I even get caught up in the service, the success or the spotlight. This day was different. It was about the little things. Recognizing my God-given role in housework. Realizing my God-planned part in a family. Acknowledging a God-designed schedule that wasn't at all what I had planned. Can I praise God for these things?! I didn't do anything great today. But somehow He saw fit to fill my day and my heart. I'm thankful.
Recently I've had Matt Redman's song 10,000 Reasons on repeat. I don't always want to praise the Lord when I'm doing laundry, but I'm thankful for clean sheets and clothes to wear. I don't necessarily feel like blessing God when I'm navigating my way through Walmart (there are MANY other things going on in my head during this process), but I'm grateful for groceries and food to eat. I don't always feel like singing praise while doing housework, but having my praise music blasting while I'm cleaning can turn into my very own praise concert (along with the sense of satisfaction from seeing the house clean). I don't always stop to praise God for each and every thing, but if I were to truly recognize ALL His benefits, the truth is I wouldn't be able to stop giving Him praise. Were I to bless His name for each and every thing He does and gives, it would consume my day. Maybe that's the point...
I've got a list to make and some praising to do.
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