Too Much!

TOO MUCH!

It's just too much! Too much pain, too much suffering, too much confusion. Between several of my friends, there is just too much bad stuff going on. How does God expect us to cope when times are so bad? One of my closest friends died of cancer this year at age 50 and now another one age 52 is being tested for a suspicious lung lesion. Another friend has had such a terrible time at work that she says she is rehearsing her "I quit" speech, just in case she is pushed to her breaking point. And yet another friend is so overwhelmed by all the demands in her life that she says she can't take one more thing.

Isn't it odd how we tell God when things get to be too much-as in too much negative, but we never tell Him when things are just "too good"? With our soured perspectives, do we ever even see things as God blessing us too much? Do we ever ask Him to take some blessings back because we just can't handle it? I doubt it!

One of the things I started doing a few years ago was a gratitude list. At least twice a week I type out some things for which I am grateful. Russ has been teasing me about how often I exclaim the beauty of the autumn colors. I told him today that I seriously doubt God gets tired of hearing us praise Him for the beauty of His creation. Never does He say "too much."

What are you thankful for today? Can you make a list?

I make it a point not to just be thankful for the big things. By being grateful for the small things, I can develop an "attitude of gratitude" no matter what the big bad wolf has brought my way. Today, my list for the week includes:

• medical treatments that make me feel so much better.
• a conversation with a friend who "gets it."
• the splurge of a hired housekeeping team once every other week.
• sunshine hitting the autumn colored trees.
• a doting husband who helps me with the little things.
• a request to help compile and edit a book for a missions project.
• Pepsi over crushed ice with a straw before NOON!

See how throwing a simple thing in your gratitude list makes you smile? This month, the month we celebrate thanksgiving, rehearse your gratitude to the Lord. Gratitude lists magnify the positive and diminish the negative in my life. May the same be true for you.

"Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms." ~Psalm 95:2