Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cold and it’s windy and it’s spitting snow across the farm this morning. I’m thankful that the work that I had planned for this new day will all be done from home…where’s it’s warm…and peaceful…and safe…and fully equipped to do my work. My time with the Living God overflowed with thanks this morning and the thanks just wouldn’t stop flowing. I could sit before Him for the rest of my life and I’d never be able to cover all the things I have to be thankful for. I never got around to asking Him for anything because my heart was overflowing with gratitude for all that He is and all that He does for me that it didn’t occur to me to ask Him for anything! Isn’t that what happens to you sometimes too?

The words of David from the Book of Psalms came to my mind this morning as I was giving thanks. David said “were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare” and that’s what it felt like for me. David was referred to as “a man after God’s own heart”, and I can’t think of anything sweeter than to be referred to as “a woman after God’s own heart” too…at least that’s the goal. Some people think about David and all they seem to focus are his “failures” and all the countless times he fell; but not me. I see his humanity and his humility and see how every time he failed or fell, he couldn’t wait to go before his God to ask for forgiveness…and I see how he had no doubt whatsoever that God would do just that because of David’s heart.

I see how David confessed his weaknesses over and over again and how He called out to God for strength. I see how he took his Spiritual Punches and the consequences to his wrongs like a man and not like a wussie. I see how he sometimes crawled into the presence of our God when he was weary, and there seemed to be nothing left in him to give; and I see how God restored him every single time. I see how bold he was in His requests and I see how he expected to be heard by God…and He trusted God to see him through. I see how he expected supernatural things from a supernatural God and he was eyewitness to many because of it. I see how he sometimes succumbed to fear of his enemies, and I see how he never surrendered to defeat because he trusted the battle to be fought by God Himself. No, I don’t see the bad in David…I see all the good. I see that His heart was Tenderized by the King just like mine has been and THAT’S why he was known to be “a man after God’s own heart”. David understood that there was no good thing in him apart from God…and so do I.

With a heart overflowing with gratitude it’s destined to be a good day. If I find myself struggling with circumstances today, I’ll be thinking about David. My “mentor” and my encouragement…an imperfect man that loved our God with his whole heart and I’ll be striving to be a woman “after God’s own heart” every step of the way.

How about you?