Don't Have Time to Grumble

I'm sitting at my laptop, munching on kettle corn and sipping Hansen's all natural Creamy Root Beer. Yummm. Olympics opening ceremony playing in the background, my computer is set in a massive bay window overlooking the boating channel and the London Bridge. Does it get any better than this?

No, I'm not in London, I'm in Lake Havasu, AZ - the bridge is from London. But that's another story.

We're blessed to be enjoying a family getaway weekend at the Lake. We took some time this morning to drive around town, and on the way out I overhear a little voice in the backseat.

"I love God. He's my best."

The teacher in me wanted to inquire, Your best what? But before I opened my mouth, I stopped to think for a moment (a new skill I've been working on lately).

Olivia's sentence did not actually need an object. As much as the incomplete sentence bothered the teacher in me, it really did say it all.

God is "our best." Our best Friend, our best Counselor, our best Provider, our best Physician. Our best everything.

Filled with the same kind of pride for my daughter that God must feel towards me when I say something that honors Him, I turn around to look at her. She's giving me that head cocked, charm the socks off my mother kind of smile and I ask her, "How did you get to be so cutie?"

"By having God's love in my heart."

Could my heart swell any bigger? I turn to my husband and say, "I hope that's what some guy says about her someday.....she's so cute because she is full of God's love." (A thought deriving from my last At the Well post, I'm sure.)

As we continue driving, Troy decides to take a "little" detour through an amazing housing development filled with some of the biggest homes I've ever seen. As much as I enjoy going along on these little joy rides, the girls don't share my enthusiasm.

I began to think, "If only we had some ice cream, this ride might be a little more enjoyable." Following directly on the heels of that thought was, "Too bad that will never happen, since neither of my girls can eat dairy."

Back to that skill I've been working on....without thinking I blurted out, "Too bad for our girls to be born into such a crummy family, since we'll never be able to just go get an ice cream for fun."

Yes, I'm ashamed. I really did say that.

It took my husband a minute to respond (I don't even want to know what was going through his mind). "Yeah, too bad they just have to go the Lake for the weekend and go out swimming on a boat. Too bad they have to do things instead like go camping and go to Disney land and go to the zoo..."

I was quick to apologize and tell him he was right. He actually made a very good point. If God created my girls to not have ice cream, at least he put them in a family that is blessed to be able to do lots of other fun things.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am probably more disappointed for me, since I've determined my primary love language is food.

Back home, I promised to read Olivia a book before nap. Figuring "Little Visits with God" was the ideal choice since God seemed to be speaking so much to her little heart lately, we snuggled up on the bed. With a description like, "Written fifty years ago, especially for children....this book continues to nurture faith and sows seeds that enrich lives" how could I go wrong?

Flip to where we last left off.....page 26.....Ok, here's our Scripture:

"Always [give] thanks to God the Father for everything. Ephesians 5:20"

Gulp.

Title: Always Thank God!

This is going to be good for someone alright. And it's not necessarily Olivia.

I may as well share an except:

"You mean I should thank God for having to wash the dishes and make my bed?" Rachel asked.
"Some people never have dirty dishes because they don't have much to eat," Dad replied. "There are some people who never have to make their beds because they're too poor to have beds."
"So when I wash the dishes, I should thank God for the food that made the dishes dirty," Rachel said with a smile of understanding. "And when I make my bed, I should thank God for having a nice warm bed."
"That's right, honey," Dad said. "I hope you'll learn to always give thanks for everything. When you're giving thanks, you don't have time to grumble."

Seriously, who was this devotion for?

Yes, God I get it. When I'm busy thanking You for all You deserve to be thanked for, I don't have time to be ungrateful. If I'm thanking You for the health of our children, I can't be whining about dairy allergies. Got it.

I'll do my best to stay busy thanking You today. Thanks for that little visit with You.