THANK YOU!

This will be an atypical post for me. I want to share about a book that I bought for my stocking stuffer for Christmas and how God is using it in my heart. I have been learning so much and it is one of those which needs to be read and reread in order for it to sink in and change me. For whatever reason (feel free to analyze me), I am a person who doesn't mind going all out and putting a lot of time and energy into a project, or an event for the good and blessings of others. BUT, I do like to be appreciated and thanked. I have known for sometime that this is a weakness, not a strength. 'Do all things unto the Lord and not unto men for it is the Lord God you serve' is definitely drilled in my head, but perhaps hasn't made its way all the way into my soul. I have tried and tried to get my kids to write thank you notes, while often falling way behind on this task myself. What I am becoming aware of is how thankless of a child I am myself. "Thankless children we all are, more or less, comprehending but dimly the truth of God's fathomless love for us."--Elizabeth Elliot I definitely have had periods of entitlement and resentment in my marriage. What was shocking and enlightening to me is that ungratefulness can take us down a slide into other evils. So many times I find myself whining, murmuring, complaining--not honoring God or giving thanks to Him. So much of what is wrong in my life--out of sync, out of sorts, out of harmony--can be traced back to this root of ingratitude. Only about two years ago did I start getting a real grip on how I had wanted so desperately for others to take the place of God in my life, depending on them to guide my decisions, to love me continuously and unconditionally, to provide for me emotionally, physically, socially, totally. God's unchanging love and faithfulness is the only thing that can save me from these unfulfilled expectations. Once coming to understand this, now the challenge is to always REMEMBER that God has met all my needs and sustains me by His grace. In the book, the author quotes a church leader from India, when asked what he thought of Americans "You have no idea how much you have, and yet you always complain." Dear Lord, Grant me a spirit of true repentance and a heart that is always abounding, overflowing in gratitude toward you and others. Amen http://www.libraryanded.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?