And I open my eyes
You are good, so good
In the heat of the day
With each stone that I lay
You are good, so good
With every breath I take in
I'll tell You I'm grateful again
When the moon climbs high
You are good
When the road starts to turn
Around each bend I've learned
You are good, so good
And when somebody's hand
Holds me up helps me stand
You are so good
With every breath I take in
I'll tell You I'm grateful again
'Cause its more than enough
Just to know I am loved
And You are so good
So how can I thank You
What can I bring
What can these poor hands
Lay at the feet of a King
I'll sing You a love song
It's all that I have
To tell You I'm grateful
For holding my life in Your hands
When it's dark and it's cold
And I can't feel my soul
You are good
When the world is gone gray
And the rain's here to stay
You are still good
So with every breath I take in
I'll tell You I am grateful again
And the storm may swell
Even then it's well and You are good
"You are Good" by Nicole Nordeman
My wonderful daughter put this song on my ipod, and what a great reminder it is of the goodness and greatness of our Lord--in season and out of season. He is good when the sun shines brightly and life seems to be smiling upon us, and He is good when the dark clouds hang heavy with rain and life seems to be disjointed and discouraging. How much I take for granted each and every day--the gift of waking up in the morning with strength to live another day to His glory. A hug from my 10 year old. The ability to walk with my dog and eyes to see the brilliant crimson flashes of the cardinals flying from branch to branch. The smell of freshly mown grass or baking chocolate chip cookies (yum!!). The warmth of friendship. The sound of wind blowing through the trees. A great book and comfortable bed after a long day. The joy of worshipping and singing praise songs in church. Going on a trip. Coming home after a trip. Laughter. Wonder. Gratitude. Warm memories. The gift of shared joys and sorrows.
There is so much for which to thank our Lord. What a difference in our perspective when we pause and give thanks rather than continuing to rush through our day, busy and preoccupied and productive but without the depth of joy that comes from gratitude. I recently heard David Jeremiah talk about the importance of having "space" in our lives. He defined space as the difference between our "limit" and our "load." As our load rises ever higher and higher towards our limit, we lose joy and peace and perspective. And like so many of us, I seem determined to cram more and more "load" into my life in an effort to get it all done, but along the way, those precious relationships, with God and with others, can be compromised and sacrificed. Dr. Jeremiah said something to the effect that "If you want to finish the race with grace, you must have space." While he was not talking about thankfulness and gratitude to God, I really believe that slowing down to recognize the Lord's goodness and grace in our lives and consciously choosing to thank Him will result in the space that brings grace in our lives. Thank Him for those dear and irreplaceable loved ones in our lives. Thank Him for the priceless gift of the Lord Jesus. Thank Him for His presence and His forgiveness and His strength. Thank Him for the countless daily blessings that give our lives richness and vitality.
How many times this week have I failed to see all the manifold blessings of God He has extravagantly poured out upon me and my loved ones? As I was walking our sweet dog, Moses, the other day, we came to a large open area on the greenway where the grass on both sides of the trail was covered in neon yellow buttercups. As we walked through this field of nearly blinding yellow blossoms, I had to stop and thank the Lord for making such beauty--and out of a bunch of weeds! No one placed the seeds of those buttercups there. No one watered or fertilized them. Just the Lord of the universe planted and cared for them so that His children might walk past them and marvel! Why yellow? Why flowers? Why beauty? Because that is the kind of God we serve--He delights to bring joy and wonder and gladness to the hearts of His own. Yet how often do we rush right by, focused on our worries or agendas or concerns? And we miss it... miss that He is good, so good.
Lord, help us to see. Help us to thank. Help us to praise--even "when it's dark and it's cold and I can't feel my soul" for still "You are so good." Help us to be grateful for and love without limits those You have placed in our lives. Help us not to miss the buttercups You lovingly, extravagantly plant along the highways of our lives. And then might we stop and praise the One who made them and placed them there out of His great and glorious love. For You are good, so good and to You be the glory forever.
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