Reminder Alarms

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the suggestion from my brother-in-law today to set a reminder alarm on my phone so that I wouldn’t forget to pick up the yarn I had accidentally left at the church.  I usually forget about this simple, yet effective way to “assure” (my short-term memory can be… impressive) that I remember something.  Of course, then there’s the fact that I have to remember to put it into my phone, too… so thank You for the reminder from my brother-in-law that reminded me to remember… well, You know what I mean.

To some extent, I am trying to work on my memory so that I do remember things like that.  The trick doesn’t seem to be so much that I don’t remember, as that I don’t remember at the right time.  Instead, I remember while I’m busy with something else, and when I can attend to whatever it may be that I needed to remember, it doesn’t cross my mind.  Sometimes I wonder if that isn’t some small piece of Your humor… I certainly see a little humor in it.

In any case, I do thank You for reminder alarms, that there is a tool I can use to remember the important things at the right time (which is why snooze is also a wonderful thing).  I would also much appreciate it if You would help me to remember to use it.  Thank You!

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Words

Dear Lord,

Thank You so much for words.  They are one of the many things that we take for granted, and yet they are so powerful.  With them, we can express and communicate.  They are their own art form, whether in poetry, song, or speech.  With them, we can praise You or persecute; show love or contempt; encourage or destroy.  Whether written or spoken (two different art forms!), words are the vehicles we steer from one place or person to the next.

Help me to keep my focus on serving and loving You, Lord, that my words would naturally overflow from Your love and joy to bless the others here.  Help me to stay thankful and not entitled, joyful and not prideful, loving and not dismissive.  Help me to keep my thoughts on Your grace and what You have done for me more than on what I “need” to do for You.  Help me to rest in Your grace rather than fall into the mindset that I need to earn Your love.

Lord, keep my thoughts on Your Word, and I pray for Your guidance and clarity to understand it.  Let me not be so engrossed in the way the world sees things that I try to view Your Word through a worldly lens.  Help me to understand and meditate upon Your truth.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Piano Music

Dear Lord,

Thank You for piano music.  Instruments are so versatile in that we can play a number of different styles with a single instrument, but I think the piano is one of the most versatile.  I love to play the piano, but I also love to just listen to others play it.

As I relaxed in my living room tonight during my physical therapy exercises, I listened to my “New Age Solo Piano” channel on Pandora.  Talk about relaxing!  I’m not sure what it is about piano music, but a relaxing mood on a piano seems almost to speak to my very soul.  It’s as though You reach into my heart and say, “Rest now.”  And I am all too willing to comply.

Thank You, Lord, for the ability to listen to recorded piano music on good speakers, so that I can even rest from the movements required to play the music in order to enjoy it.  I look forward to heaven, Lord, and what music will be like there.  Thank You for my rest.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Spiders

Dear Lord,

I have a strange, unwarranted, yet persistent fear of spiders.  So spiders are not something that I appreciate in my house as a general rule.  I have a contract with them… they’re fine outside (unless poisonous), but if they step into my house, they die.  Unfortunately, Your creations appear unaware of this contract.  

This is my first night without my husband for awhile (away on work business - yay for a job!), and my toddler is sleeping.  I had just gotten out of the shower and moved my backpack to snatch my computer and a rather large spider scurried away from beneath it.  Now why is it that my first reaction when my husband is here is to kill it (okay… maybe I step back and let him deal with it if I don’t have anything particularly handy…), and yet the first thing I did now that he’s away was to back away, allowing it to escape?  In. My. House.  Next to my bed even…

Yet, as I think about that rather large spider, (while I’m here on my bed) I find myself smiling.  It is Your creature, after all.  And while it is in a breach of contract, and I don’t particularly enjoy the idea of it in my bedroom, I do enjoy the knowledge that You are in total control of it.  That’s not to say You wouldn’t let it bite me… but if You were to allow that, it would be to my benefit.  And that, my Lord, is something to smile about.

So I thank You for spiders, Lord.  That You are in control of them, and that I don’t have to worry about them, because both they and I are in Your hands.  Thank You that You are truly God, sovereign over all, and that You used a spider to make me smile.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Scrunchies

Dear Lord,

Today, I will add scrunchies to the list of things that I am thankful to You for.  They make having long hair so much easier.  They’re incredibly versatile, so I can do any number of hairdos by just having one little band on my wrist (or already in my hair).  When it’s hot (like this past week), I can put my hair up in a ponytail or bun, and continue with my work without too much more thought on it.  Otherwise, the heat that my hair holds in - especially on my neck - can make it difficult to stay hydrated and focused.

Thank You, Lord, for such a small versatile band that can make such a large difference.  It’s a staple of my hair accessories, and quite comfortable.  Help me to stay thankful to You for each of Your gifts - no matter how small.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Research

Dear Lord,

I have a love/hate relationship with research.  It is a wonderful thing, and the internet has made it so much easier (though, of course, one must be careful to corroborate what one finds on the internet).  Yet it takes so much time and requires a number of decisions in what to pursue.  You know that I virtually always try to accomplish things in the least amount of time, and that decisions are not my friend.  This is an area that You occasionally exercise in me, and even if the stretching may not be the most comfortable process, I am thankful for it.

Research can even be fun - especially about topics that I already enjoy.  Like knitting and other hobbies.  I occasionally research a little more about blogging (since I know there is so much out there that I haven’t taken advantage of), and always come away with some interesting tidbit.  Thank You that I can research to grow my knowledge - especially about You!  "Researching" You can even be a great pick-me-up when I am discouraged.  I pray again for Your blessing on my upcoming grace study for my next 100 thankful things, Lord.  I am excited to see how You use it!

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

My New Topic

Dear Lord,

I am excited to be so near to the halfway mark:  500 of 1,000 thankful things!  I have been thinking on what the topic should be for my next 100 things for awhile now, and until yesterday, still hadn’t come up with anything to focus on.  Thank You for the clarity yesterday to realize that I need to study more about grace.

Grace is a simple, yet difficult, concept for me to grasp.  When I have hold of the meaning of Your unmerited favor, the effects are so far-reaching - it is the joy of being Your child.  Yet sometimes the concept is not so easy to grasp, and it is then that I am most susceptible to depression.  Thankfulness certainly helps, as it helps me to shift my focus from myself to You.  However, I think there is something about grace that I don’t fully own, yet.  So I have decided to focus my next 100 thankful things on what I am thankful for in Your grace, with the intention to specifically study the topic of grace in Your Word.

Lord, I pray Your blessing on this endeavor - though I won’t be starting for another three weeks.  Give me Your understanding and wisdom as I study Your Word, and I pray that others might benefit from it, as well.  

As my husband and I also enter a new chapter of life, I think it best to change my schedule from five days a week to between two and three times a week (as soon as I begin “Thankful for Your Grace”).  This way, I hope to study Your grace more before I write about it, and to help accommodate our tight schedule.  Thank You, Lord, for making my next topic clear to me - in Your grace for me in my walk as Your child.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.