“Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex!”

–Psalm 139:14a (NLT)

 

This week is Vacation Bible School at our church. God’s goodness and love have followed me there, and I have the joy of leading a crew of half a dozen 3rd graders from praise and worship to games, crafts, Bible lessons and snacks. Last night I fell into bed exhausted in such a soul-satisfying way. Where else can you go to wear panda ears, hear “God made us!” proclaimed and repeatedly shout “Thank You, God!” in response? Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere, and for that I am thankful.

I am complex and tired, too, but best of all I am truly loved by God. You are, too.

Counting the ways He loves me keeps me thankful; here are items 784 to 813 in my One Thousand Gifts list:

784. creamy, frozen peanut butter pie on a hot evening

785. girl talk over Mexican food

786. the cheery buzz of the otherwise anonymous cicadas, hiding in the trees

787. the 20 cents she spends buying her big sister a green lollipop, a special surprise

788. how grown up she acts carrying that sparkly pink purse on her wrist as we stroll down the sidewalk

789. new little friends chatting about scrapbooking and quilting in the back of the mini-van

790. a tea luncheon with one spunky 5-year-old, Raggedy Ann, Fancy Nancy, a black gorilla named Licorice, and a dozen blueberry muffins

791. the happy clang of the garage door opener, signaling his return home from work

792. celebrating the big question popped and the saying “yes” 16 summers later

793. the man who comes home with a fist-full of flowers, happy to whisk me away for dinner

794. how mindful he is as he tells them stories about their Great-Great-Grandma Alice

795. the smile on her red Kool-aid stained face as she proclaims “I feel like I’m eating humming-bird food!”

796. the close parking spots and the rainstorm that lets up while we’re running errands

797. the unexpected joy of teaching them how to bounce-pass a basketball

798. the sweet 2-month-old who snuggles in close to her mom

799. how her big blue eyes sparkle with excitement as we enjoy the “best lunch ever” at Antiquity Rose

800. shopping with an 8-year-old who finds me the perfect tea party hat

801. how she adores clay camp

802. all her 80 years — and how she loves her great-grandchildren

803. curling up on the couch with him to watch Flywheel

804. the breeze that finds its way through open windows

805. the air conditioner repair man who decides to drop the extra charge for a Saturday service call

806. lessons on prayer and righteousness from Nehemiah

807. the passionate youth pastor who presents Already Gone to our Sunday School class

808. the lovely dwelling place where one day is better than a thousand elsewhere (Psalm 84)

809. making new friends in the parking lot after church

810. a divine grocery store appointment with a sweet friend

811. his fajitas and the salsa that tastes just right

812. making new friends at VBS

813. singing praise to Him and loudly shouting together “Thank You, God!” over and over with the VBS crew

You’re invited! Check out other posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below.