Choosing to Declare

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
The skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge..."

Psalm 19:1,2

Even in this tougher season of my life (physically & spiritually) I can't help but be aware of the stunning beauty that surrounds me. I want to join the heavens in declaring the glory of God...it's not about how I feel or don't feel, it's just the choice of having eyes to see and choosing to worship. If the skies can pour forth speech, surely I can muster the energy to audibly tell God how amazing His creation is! And amazing it is - the colors, the smells, the sounds, the warmth, the LIFE which is virtually bursting from the earth everywhere I look. (Even the "looking" part has been more challenging for me this spring as my eyesight has gotten worse & my eyes are more uncomfortable with whatever this affliction is that I have been suffering from!)

I have a theory that in these harder seasons of our lives, our choice to worship God is very, very powerful. Our choice to speak out His glories - to bow down and kiss the Son, to trust, simply trust when things look dark, are acts of love to Jesus that ravish His heart. So I want to make choices to please Him and to notice His gifts to me - and to give thanks, even though I'm feeling sluggish and heavy hearted.

Tonight I watched a beautiful sunset. I was outside trying to get a picture of the blossoms against the pretty sky and the fragrances were amazing. Lilacs...mmmm, so heavenly! Jewel kept close to me, trying to coach as many neck scratches out of me as she possibly could and the cat was darting here and there in such a playful mood. These evenings are incredible gifts - I'm glad I'm forced outside to water my plants
and trees so I don't miss this lovely season. Sadly I'm usually so eager to go and lay down that I don't spend nearly as much time outside as I should.

Ok, I just lost a bumch of my post here, but I'm too tired to try to rewrite thoughts that have gone elsewhere... I was saying something about my Blessings Journal...where I've been writing a list of 1000 GIFTS...those things that I take for granted that I want to begin to give thanks for. Cultivating a grateful heart and teaching my Sunday School girls to do the same. We sometimes start our class with praise & worship...each of us taking a turn to say "Thank you Jesus for ________" . We try to mention something we've never heard or said in class and it's so fun watching the girls come alive as they think of new things to thank God for. They come up with the neatest things that challenge & delight me - I'm sure God loves it!!

So...I will now thank God for my cozy bed where I can lay my tired body and for my sweet daughter who is in my room watching "I Love Lucy". How inviting is that?!