He Has Been Good

This week I will (again) be stepping aside from my "march in pursuit of defining thanks" throughout the Bible. I will be reflecting and sharing the many wonderful messages that passed before my eyes and penetrated my thoughts as I was traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. They are meant for preparation for Thanksgiving, but I believe the messages apply to life in general... every day.

Our family had to separate during the holiday, due to illness. It was difficult for me... I prefer togetherness, it makes me feel safe and loved. However, we did get to celebrate God's love for us and His amazing, abundant blessings through connections with extended family and their outpouring of generosity and care for the boys and I. Family... one of God's most marvelous and loving blessings this side of Heaven!

Today's message comes from my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Leaders Online newsletter. I found it very worthy and worth passing along to you:

He Has Been Good by Sherry Surratt, MOPS CEO and President
Oh ‘tis the season. The season of cooking and shopping and insane busyness. The season when Aunt Marge comes to stay a few days too long, and I have to wash the dog hair out of the sheets because, well, I’m just fancy like that. Wouldn’t it be great to have a little something, a little anything to help us slow down a bit and infuse a little joy into our tired brains? Well, I think I’ve found it. It’s thankfulness. That pause of reflection, that moment when we stop and say ‘wow, that’s good’.

In the mornings, I stop and take a joyful moment over my coffee. Mmm, so rich and steamy. I’m positive God invented coffee beans just for me. Here’s how my thoughts go, ”God, thank you for this moment of warm, dark richness. This is good. You are good. I know you love it when I take joy in the small things and see you in the goodness. I know you love me and I love you too.”

This is what thankfulness does. It causes pause when we would otherwise zip right by, faster and faster into our crazy scheduled day. It causes us to slow down and say, ”there’s a big God out there and it’s not me.”

As leaders, this is a wildly important thing. This pause gentles us and lets God work in our hearts so we are fit to lead. It gets us back into the flow of what God wants to do in and through us, and makes us usable for him. Many times I find myself all hurried — make that phone call, talk to that person, check off that next to-do on my list — and all the while God is beckoning my heart: “Slow down Sherry. See what I have done for you. It’s good. Enjoy it.”

This Thanksgiving, would you join me for a moment to steep your soul in this verse? “But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6

Indeed, he has been good to us! Even through the sticky and difficult, he loves us so completely and sends small joys our way, things to make us smile, if we’ll only notice. He pursues us because he loves us so; he rejoices and desperately wants a daily relationship with us. He promises we won’t be alone and holds our hands through our parenting, our marriage, our leadership.

Ladies, let this be your definitive moment of thankfulness this season - for he has been good to me.

Any men out there reading this, please take no offense... MOPS is a women's group... but I believe the message applies to all of God's children.

Until tomorrow...

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b