Gratitude

 "I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
   I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
   your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
   let your glory be over all the earth."

Psalm 57:9-11

I love the way the Lord turns my thoughts and heart to Him though my surroundings. As I drove to work today, my thoughts were filled with the upcoming events of the day. I began to pray, but honestly had a difficult time staying focused and staying positive. At some point, I looked ahead and caught sight of the sun breaking though the clouds. When I reached a stop sign, I quickly took a picture with my phone camera.

The beauty of it immediately made me think of the glory of the Lord. A praise song filled my mind and peace came over me. Through the meetings, paperwork, and group sessions of the day, this image stayed with me.

Late in the afternoon, David and I were driving to church. The sunset was behind me and I could only partially see it through the rear view as mirror. However, as I looked ahead of me, I could see the reflection of the sunset on the hills. Again, I thought of the beauty of the Lord. As David and I parked at church, he saw this and asked,  puzzled, "Mom, are those leaves turning again?"

I explained to him about the reflection of the light from the sunset. I am so grateful for the ways God gets my attention (as well as our kids') in the ordinary aspects of life and reminds me of His presence and extraordinary love!