Praise God

God fills me with awe. I feel overwhelmingly thankful today for His love and mercy. I could be a very different person than I am, but he never let me go even when I shoved Him away. I'm thankful for the many blessings God's given me.

I have parents who both work overtime:
Mom does well juggling everything she's involved in. She always has some pressing matter or other to attend to in politics, and she has so much on her mind always. She finds time to teach her children and keep her home together though. She has such a store of wisdom and godly counsel, and she doesn't hesitate to pause in a hectic day to give it to those who seek it, or to minister in some way to someone in need of help.
Dad doesn't see his job as just money. He's always on duty, willing to get up in the middle of the night to go fix a truck that's broken down on the road. Rather than seeing how he can get out of jobs and earn more money while doing less to deserve it, he's always looking for ways to be more efficient, save money, and expand his knowledge. He's slow to get angry.
Mom and Dad recognize love is a commitment, a choice. And they've made that choice. I've never heard them yell at each other, and they're dedicated to raising their children up to be godly men and women.

My little sisters constantly surprise me with little spontaneous outbursts of generosity and thoughtfulness.

Nearly three years ago I became involved in a youth group made up of great teens who want to serve the Lord. The Youth Pastor is full of desire to minister to the kids, and time and again delivers really convicting messages.

For over a year, we've been attending a little church full of wonderful, encouraging people. The church body is like a tight-knit family. In the last few weeks, as I've mentioned my desire to start something for the youth (the men have a bible study, the women have a bible study, but the teens have nothing,) I've found that many of the other kids want to as well as do many parents.

I have faithful friends who have shown me much grace in light of my neglect of our friendships.

I have a well-paying, full-time job a few months of every year. And various babysitting, petsitting, gopher runs, etc. the rest of the year.

I have a beautiful viola and an even more beautiful violin, and I know how to play both, because of four years' teaching by a skilled lady who knows her stuff and how to teach what she knows.

I have many memories of fun times with my two older siblings, who, although they've both moved out, are still nearby.

I have a house with electricity in it, a bed with clean sheets on it, clean water to drink and wash with, an abundance of food, books for pleasure and education, technology for education and pleasure, a car to drive here and there.

Sights, smells, tastes, textures, sounds, that are so pleasing to the senses. They cry out of the wisdom of their Creator. God fashioned so much beauty out of nothing.

I have a new desire to read my Bible in the last couple weeks. Not just a desire to be able to check it off my to-do list, but a desire to read it because of it's content. Praise God! This is such a new and wonderful thing.

I'm just overflowing with praise and thanksgiving tonight. But why shouldn't I be? Actually, it seems to me this should be my usual state of mind.