Thank You, Lord!

Last night, I was struck with the overwhelming need to just thank God. I pulled out my journal & I just starting writing a list of thank-yous to God.

It being the end of the quarter & the start of holidays has started to get me a little stressed (I'm am easily-stressed kinda girl). Just a couple weeks ago, it literally took me at least an hour of just lying in bed praying for my mind to stop running long enough for me to just fall asleep, for like a week straight. It was tooorture. Has that ever happened to you? All you want to do is fall asleep, but then when you lay your head on the pillow, all you can think about is the fact that you have to take your car in to get the brakes looked at, the assignments you have due this week, the kids at work who seem to be having a really hard time lately, & on & on & on. It's awful.

So anyway, I've been a little stressed lately. But last night it just came over me how I really should be thanking God for all He's given me, not asking for Him to tone it down a little bit. (And really, who has the authority to tell God what to do anyway?)

One thing that really struck out to me is this: He is passionate about me. He is constantly pursuing me & drawing me closer to Him. Does that sound strange to anyone else besides me? I mean, our Savior, the God of the universe, who has created every single thing you could possible ever imagine, is passionately pursuing me! As much as I love my Ben & as much as I know he loves me with every fiber in his body, there is still no way he could ever love me the way that my God does. I'm just now starting to realize this & begin to accept it, but it's true.

My gut reaction is always - Why? I'm a sinner. I'm selfish. I'm controlling. I'm needy. I'm moody. I'm _____. But He doesn't care. In fact, He created me that way. He knows I am all of those things, yet He still chooses to pursue me on a daily basis.

How incredibly earth-shattering is that?!

Needless to say, it left me a little awe-struck.

     “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1,26 NIV