God's Will for You

I can remember so many mornings as a child that began with my mom throwing open the curtains and singing (so sincerely and obnoxiously) "This is the Day!" or "Rise and Shine!" or her personal favorite, "Count Your Blessings!"

I am becoming my mother.

While I'm still no morning person, the sunny disposition and count-your-blessings attitude I gratefully inherited is so key in combatting life in Haiti...life anywhere.  I'm trying to, sometimes obnoxiously, impress it on my children.  Matt will tell you I've always tried, usually obnoxiously, to impress it on him :)

Though it is very easy to get discouraged here--continual heat and humidity, continual dire need of those around us, terrible roads and unjust systems, spiders, mechanical issues, inability to go to Lowe's or Target when needed, limited diversions and never-ending pointing out as foreigners--it is also very easy to count a million blessings that may not seem so obvious in our home culture.

Food on the table is a BIG deal.  A stove to cook it on.  Money to buy uniforms and shoes.  Electricity.  HUGE.  Running water.  Running CLEAN water (do you know how many people in the world do not have this? millions billions).  One bed for each child.  Fans.  A doctor who helps us through email.  Tile on our floors.  Luxurious internet.

Hope.  Faith.  His Word.  The Answer.  Each other.

We are so incredibly rich in Him that it is impossible not to count your blessings, count them one by one.

While blessings and burdens might stand out differently in different cultures and countries, they are all the same, aren't they.  And what mama always told us is still the same, too.

There is a lot of ugly and broken world to focus on today.  I feel it, trying to poke at my heart, eat at my brain, stand over my shoulder, find me at bedtime.

Instead, let's focus deliberately today on what God has done, and IS doing, bringing Him glory with our hearts and minds and speech, walking alongside 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18...

rejoice always

pray without ceasing

in everything give thanks

for this is God's will for you