A Thankful Heart


My small group is reading the book, Strengthen Yourself in the Lord, by Bill Johnson. It really is a wonderful book. But then again, God has blessed us all with such a neat man, as Bill Johnson. I love to listen and read anything that he talks about!

One of the things that Bill stresses, is that we need to have a thankful heart. We need to increase our praises to the One who has created us. When I pray, I always start out with thanksgiving. It's interesting, telling the Creator what you are thankful for. Sometimes, I feel as though it's so small in comparison to Him.

Also, I find myself struggling with praising Him. I do. My heart is grateful for all that He has done, but I find myself thanking Him for the same things over and over again. I imagine, in my little world of perfectionism, that He isn't as annoyed with that as I am. I hate to be repetitive in my prayers. I want to talk to my God, like I think about Him, as my best friend. I want to enjoy Him and tell Him my enjoyment in Him. Still He knows my heart....

Today, I was feeding Simon and my mind wondered to where it usually goes when I spend my time with the little guy.... into a loving place of adoration. It's been 5 years since I had an infant in my house and no matter how hard I tried before he was born, I have forgotten about what it is like to have an infant in my home. I am so thankful that I get to snuggle with this little one, listen to his coo's or watch his smile emerge. I don't mind so much, getting up in the middle of the night and feeding him. It's my special time with him.

I wrote in my journal last week, that I want to hit a new level of praise and thanksgiving to our Lord and not just out of what I can see or hear or even experience. I want to have that deep down adoration for Him, similar to how I feel about my newest son. I want to cherish my moments with our Lord like I cherish the times I deeply drink in Simon. And then, I want to be able to verbalize it to our God. I want more then just a thankful heart.

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