366 Days of Gratefulness ~ Day 14

It's the little things in life that I have to be grateful for that I so often take for granted.  Maybe I shouldn't refer to them as "little things", rather they are the things that seem to just blend in with my day to day activities.  I don't notice them as much.  They are things that don't come to my mind when at the end of the day I look back at the blessings I've been given.

When I think back to Saturday the things that jump out at me that I'm grateful for are having a laid back day where I could just rest, being able to spend most of the day with everyone being at home and being able to spend the evening with friends celebrating the marriage of a friend's son and his wife.  Those things are the obvious things I would choose.  But when I look beyond all of that for something that isn't so quick to remember, I discovered one of the most treasured blessings I have.  A blessing that the Lord was so gracious to remind me I had.

Sara drove me to my friend's house that afternoon.  On the way there a favorite song came on the radio and without even realizing it, we both started singing along.  She knew every word.

"The Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns.

This song has a special meaning to me that one day maybe I will share.  I will tell you I have part of the lyrics with pictures of some of my closest friends framed and hanging on a wall in my livingroom.  It was a gift from one of those friends to remind me that the Lord is the Voice of Truth.  I can see it from where I sit. I have to walk by it wherever I go in the house.  It's a constant reminder to me that He, and only He, is the Voice I need to listen to.  He is the Voice I need to choose to believe and not the voice of the evil one.

Those framed lyrics and pictures are a blessing I see every day, but rarely do I name them when I am thanking the Lord for those I have been given.  I take it for granted.  It blends in with every day life for me.

So does something as simple as riding down the road singing along with my daughter.  Not just any song, but a song about the love of our Heavenly Father.  A song that reminds us that all things are for His glory for those who belong to Him.

And she belongs to Him.  She confesses this with her mouth, and her actions show she loves Him.  So does Hannah.  I wish I was a bold as Hannah is in her faith.  Their love for Jesus is very evident in their life.  They aren't perfect.  They mess up, just like me and just like you.  However, their heart's desire is to live for the Lord.

"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." ~ 3 John 1:4

What a blessing ... and one I so often take for granted.  It should be at the top of my list of those things I thank Him for every day.  Instead, it just blends in with my every day life.  I am so ashamed to admit that.  Nothing about knowing your child belongs to Jesus should just be an ordinary part of life.

I have friends who are heartbroken because they have children who don't have that assurance.  One confesses that they don't even know if they ever were converted and the other is struggling with the truth of who God really is.  So we pray ... a lot ... and we wait upon the Lord.  It's heartbreaking.  My heart aches as I watch my friends struggling and hurting.

And yet, I am taking for granted that my girls confess to love Jesus.

I am grateful that Sara and Hannah belong to the Lord.  There is peace that is indescribable in knowing that truth.  I am going to be more intentional about praising the Lord for that.