Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a magnificent morning and I will rejoice and be glad in it no matter what this new day brings. I have a lot to Celebrate each and every day…my family, friends, good health, a sound mind, my Faith, countless victories, battles won, and a very long list of other things that would wrap around Virginia a few times. The Bible says, “Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare”– and I Know that with a Heart filled with Gratitude there ARE too many blessings to declare! But more than anything else that I might celebrate on this glorious morning in Virginia, I Celebrate that I am a child of the Living God. My heart overflows with Gratitude when I consider the King and the Price He paid for me, and I don’t let a single day go by without giving Him the Thanks He deserves for choosing me to be part of His Master Plan. It’s that attitude of Gratitude that propels my Faith into Action and it’s Joy that flows through me and into the world because of it. Isn’t that the way you feel about being a child of the Living God too?

I’m not sure how (or why) it seems so easy to take things for granted in this life, but sadly it is for most people. From the relationship with our significant other to our children. From our provisions to our paychecks. From our health to our Hope. Most people start out pretty excited and fairly grateful for these things when they’re still fresh and new, but before too long the lack of Gratitude causes the luster to fade and before you know it they begin to neglect the things that they should be the most grateful for. Our relationships can easily become run-of-the-mill and the romance always fades too quickly if we allow it to. Our children become just something that we do or something we can boast about and we stop treasuring the small priceless moments because of the madness that surrounds us. Our provisions and our paychecks become something that we expect to always be there and, like King Nebakanezzar, we gladly take credit for it all. Our health is rarely valued until we don’t have it anymore and we turn to someone else to fix it when it begins to fade away. Out of all the people and things we take for granted the most dangerous one – the one that fuels every other aspect of life…the one that Ignites our Faith and Propels us forward is our Gratitude for all that He is and all that He’s done for us. It’s ONLY when we can see Life through the eyes of God – when we can see our place in the Master Plan – when we can embrace the fact that we didn’t do anything to deserve to be Part of the God Family that our Heart overflows with Gratitude and Humility sets in. This is the Key to a Surrendered Life.

My heart overflows with Gratitude for the Living God and for the Plans He has for my Life. I am Confident that there is “no good thing” apart from Him so I make sure to Express how Grateful I am each and every day by doing my best to walk out my Journey of Faith in a way that will be pleasing to my God. When you see me you’ll see my Gratitude and when you talk to me you’ll hear it too. I’m a child of the Living God and it shows.

How about you?