Isolino loves to give me flowers. I have a sweet swan vase that is on the small side. I love to look at it, and it sits in my kitchen window. It catches the sun, when there are no flowers in it, and it is there for those sweet surprises when a flower shows up suddenly in this vase.
It is a wonderful gift that Isolino gives to me, to allow me to look forward to seeing the flowers he chooses for me. It has gotten into a family gift to me, as both Jolynn and Kaylee have gotten into the act of picking beautiful flowers that they see, and putting them in the vase to surprise me. I never know who has done it, and I do ask Isolino if it was him, when I see one there. It is a quiet gift of love, that is appreciated so very much. It is also to see how soon I notice these gifts. Sometimes I see them right away, and sometimes it has been there a day, before I have noticed. Now, I try to check every day, because it is just not right to recognize when someone has done something kind and generous for you.
I am trying to do that in my own life, when others have given me unexpected gifts or done something generous that should be recognized. I always plan to do "thank you" cards, but sometimes my own life gets so hectic that I lose track of whether I had thanked someone or not, and then it gets so far from that time, that I am embarrassed to say anything, because it is so late. I wonder if you deal with that too. I have some friends that are right on top of those "thank yous" and I always wonder if they think I don't appreciate their gifts as much as I do, because I have not gotten that "thank you" to them.
I have been blessed with such generous friends. I feel so thankful to God for the friendships He's brought me. I tell my kids, "I prayed years and years for good friends. Now God has given me so many wonderful friends, that the time in my life where I had few friends, seems non-existent". It is so hard on these younger kids. Friendships are so shallow, and dramatic. I pray for my kids to have good friends. My oldest and middle daughter are finding friendships to be more lasting as they have gotten older. My youngest has struggled to find friends that understand her. She has a few good friends, but at school the drama gets intense.
I think of our relationship with God. Do we thank Him for the things He does for us. Do we recognize when He's given us a gift? How long does it take us to see that He's given it? Do we praise Him for Who He is, or for what He does for us? All week long, I was working on my accounting at work. I was trying to get the bank statement and my checkbook to balance, but it just wasn't going well. I probably went over it twenty times, and each time was getting a different figure. I was praying and asking God's help the whole time, but it just wasn't balancing. At one point, I had been praying all night, and the next day, before I went into work, I asked God to please help me balance it, because I needed to take care of some things, and this was just taking so long. Well, I went over it two or three times, and finally, on the last time, it all balanced. I just lifted my hands and said, "Praise the Lord.". Isolino was there, and he raised his hands, and I said, 'YES! Praise the Lord, I finally got it balanced." We laughed, but it was a huge thing for me. I could feel the warfare of the enemy. When you are getting different amounts and you are doing the same numbers, there is definitely something going on!
Now, I know I was praising Him for what He had done for me, but I was also praising Him for Who He Is, because He was the only One, Who could cut through the mist that the enemy was putting up there. Our God is Victorious. He is Mighty. He is able to do so much more than we can ask or imagine. That is what His Word says. He says "we have not, because we ask not." One of my favorite verses has always been, "Seek and ye shall find, Ask and ye shall receive, Knock and the door shall be opened."
I use this verse in my prayer time. It means so much to me. I pray that it will help you too. I apply God's Word to my life. When He gives me a verse to ponder, I usually think how I can use it in my everyday life. God's Word is active. It is sharper than a two edged sword. It cuts through the marrow and the bone. It really does have an affect on our lives, if we will believe it. Apply it. Live it. I encourage you to think on what I have shared here today. Think of those people in your lives that have helped you. Given you gifts that weren't expected. Shared their lives with you in some special way. Especially think of where God has been there for you. He loves you so much. He loves to be appreciated. But you know what the really neat thing is? God's Word says. "that God inhabits the praises of His people." That means, as you begin to praise Him, He shows up in a big way. I don't know about you, but I like having God in my life in a big way. He has done so much for me. I believe He has done lots for you too. Have you seen it yet? Have you recognized where His footsteps have been in your life? I love you all. I pray this will encourage you to see more clearly than before. Have a wonderful Sunday, tomorrow. I pray your night tonight is blessed.
