November Challenge: Day 9

Today was another rainy day and yesterday's not feeling well turned into today's illness. I ended up having to stay home from work because I had a fever and just felt awful. This wasn't a choice I wanted to make since most of this week I'll be taking time off to help my mom during her surgery, but I ended up being grateful I did. It started to rain and I was instantly grateful that I was staying inside and not having to make the 30 minute commute. I was feeling pretty miserable today and unable to leave my bed for most of the day, but not really able to sleep either. I turned on my TV, put on a documentary, and started scrolling Pinterest. At times I would turn everything off and try to sleep again, but the reality is you can't sleep 24 hours even when you're sick. This evening I began to feel better, not 100%, but better than before and I settled into the evening to relax before I start another workday, hopefully making it beyond my house. 

It was then that I realized what I was grateful for today: technology. Technology was there to entertain a brain that was bored by a body's weakness. Technology was there to connect me to other people and to inspire me through their creations. Technology was there to help me catch up on work without having to leave my bed and still be able to meet a deadline when I was unable to make it to the office. Technology was there to inform me of a tornado warning this evening and even though it wasn't in my area, the thought is still the same. Technology is a wonderful creation. It enables us to connect with everyone and everything at any time. It provides us with alerts and information that is pertinent to our lives. Technology is also portable and all encompassing, allowing us with plenty of opportunities to do just about everything. Yes, technology has it's downfalls, but as Spider Man said, "with great power comes great responsibility." Technology is what you make of it, both good and bad.

Beyond technology, today I am grateful for a warm bed, hot beverages, and delicious soup. I am grateful for medicine and for company in the form of furry babies. I am also grateful for my free Fabletics water bottle that arrived today. I am grateful for rain and for snow in the area. Today, on a day that didn't go as planned, I am so much to be thankful for. What are you thankful for today?

November Challenge: Day 2

This morning I woke up to rain and it was wonderful. Rain is without a doubt today's blessing. If you live in California than you understand exactly why rain is such a blessing. California has been in an awful drought for a few years now and our land is parched. Yes, we occasionally get rain, but we are not receiving nearly as much as we need. The entire state has had to ration water usage and our beautiful landscape has turned brown. This year even the smallest amount of rain has called me to sing God's praises, but today He blessed our land with lots of rain. All day it rained and quenched a thirsty land. 

California's drought reminds me of the spiritual drought many Christians face. We, as humans, have a tendency to believe that occasional participation or exposure to something makes us healthy. An occasional cleaning at the dentist guarantees our teeth are healthy or an occasional visit to the doctor means we won't become ill. This doesn't make it true, yet we convince ourselves that it is because this  "truth" makes us feel better. Christians sometimes have this same attitude toward spirituality. There is this belief that if you attend church weekly that you are spiritually healthy. Yet the truth is the occasional attending of a sermon, reading of scripture, or prayer does not make you spiritually healthy. Just like California needs a steady deliverance of rain, Christians need a continual exposure to those things which enrich their spiritual lives. We need the rain, we need the nourishment, to make and keep us healthy.

Today I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for the rain. I am thankful for the power of prayer. I am thankful for God's word. I am thankful for the church. I am thankful for devotionals. The thirst of the land and my soul are being quenched and I am grateful. What are you thankful for today?

Rain

Have you ever wanted to pray for something so badly that you couldn't find the words? Or wanted something with all of your heart, but knew you couldn't ask for it? There are times in life when we want or need something, but to ask for it, to receive it the way we imagine might mean consequences for someone else. Our flesh (the sinful part) desires the obtainment without concern for consequences, but our heart (the part with the Holy Spirit) reminds us of the consequences, which might mean someone else has pain or heartache, and prevents us from asking for what we want. When our hearts our overwhelmed with the desire to pray for something, but we know we can't then we can feel unheard. Lately, I have felt unheard. That the prayers I couldn't bring myself to pray went unnoticed. Then my focus shifted and I began to pray for other things, specifically things outside of my control. I prayed for rain. It wasn't a test, but I needed to focus my prayer energy. Today it rained. Not a storm, but just enough for God to tell me He heard my prayer, that He never stopped listening.