Day 16: Gratitude focus – A friend from my neighborhood or community
Quality or name of God – My Strength
______________
Four years ago this month, I spent the entire month recovering from major surgery. (God is good, all is well, and that is all that will be said about that part of it.) My dear parents came to Michigan for the entire month of November to live with me, cook for me, clean for me, and take care of me. To this day I still can’t get over what an amazing gift of time and love that represented!
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (psalm 46:1, NLT)
Today’s verse reminded me of my first few days at home that month. I lived in a relatively small flat, and my mom or dad would walk “laps” with me around the dining room table, into the living room, and back the full length of the apartment to my bedroom. By that point, I was ready for a nap! I could do nothing on my own. I had zero strength. I had to rely totally on the strength of others. I looked around and saw that things were getting done, but it was nothing I was doing—because there was nothing I could do!
It’s when we get to that point spiritually—the point where we acknowledge that we have no strength of our own and therefore we must rely on the strength of Another—that we realize how awesome it is that He is our Strength! When our hands are empty and our strength is spent, that’s often when we can see that He already gave His all to provide the strength we need!
But there’s more! From the words of an old song (“He Giveth More Grace”) we are reminded that this gift of strength and power is not just a one-time thing: “He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!”
______________
Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):
Psalm 16, 46, 76, 106, 136
______________ ______________ Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:“A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor’s.” (Richard Whately)
» – Call your neighbor or community gratitude recipient to thank him or her for impacting your life. Keep the conversation focused on them, and be respectful of their time.
»$ – Make a plate of cookies or a simple craft item to take to person of focus. Keep it simple! The magnitude of the act is in the giving—not in the gift. (Hey, I like that…I might use that again sometime!)
$ – Give your neighbor or friend from the community a gift card to a local restaurant or invite the recipient to join you for a concert or sporting event—and then treat them to coffee after the event!
» = free »$ = minimal cost $ = cost involved