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life is good...

my life isn't perfect. my family struggles to make the ends of the months meet. my kids have days where everything they say comes out as a whine (i have to admit i have those days, too). we get sick. my house is a mess. i'm not in the job of my dreams. my first finished manuscript is getting older as we speak without being sent out. sometimes i feel like my 7th grade class will be the death of me.
 
life isn't perfect. i'm not perfect.

but i have a God who is.

sometimes i lose sight of that.
i see everything around me 
and i forget to look up.

i serve a God who is perfect, 
whose plans are perfect, 
and whose gifts are even perfect:

"every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (james 1:17, NIV)

 He has given me many gifts. first of all, i've lived for over 10,000 days. that's a lot of days i've been given gifted. 
He's given me a family to love, a family that loves me. 
He's given me friends i would still count as family, even though we haven't seen each other in years in some cases. 
He's given me this crazy dream of writing.
He's given me eyes to see the beauty in the world around me.
He's given me...well, everything!

this perfect God, the One who has given me so much, hears a lot of whining on my part. so often my prayers to Him turn into something i'm not proud of--a whole lot of me asking why He hasn't given me certain things.

i've made a resolution. not a new year's resolution because i don't stick to those things ever and have finally stopped making them, but sort of a heart resolution:
i will be thankful for all the gifts He has given me.
life truly is good.

"enter with the password: 'thank You!' make yourselves at home, talking praise. thank Him. worship Him. for God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever." (psalm 100:4-5, the message)

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Thoughts? I would love to hear them!
~Mandy

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