The Forgotten DNA (One Thousand Gifts of Thankfulness)

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Forgetful. That's what we are sometimes. 

We forget how intricate and extremely complex we are. How uniquely exquisite. How different our neural networks are from the person next to us. Why our patterns of thinking just seem to be so peculiar to only ourselves and nobody else, and why we sometimes make different choices based on how we think.

Laughter easily fills a room, flowing past brightly lit candles and sifting through like the aroma of the good food on the table because we dare to stick to our own stories.

Not even mothers can dictate the paths of their children's destinies.

What about our bodies? Each of us have something drastically different on our skins. Physical or less obvious and sometimes downright laughable birth marks. Even identical twins have distinguishing identifiable genetic markers (DNA). The wavy lines on their fingers protrude into separate paths of uncontrollable wildness and adventure. If you peek a little bit closer you will see.

Forgetful. That's what we are sometimes.

We don't always remember how skillful and absolutely creative our God must be. It's days like this when I read Psalms 139 that I am reminded yet again of how awesome He is and how forgetful I can be of my own DNA. Today, I ask you to joyfully embrace that very thing that sets you apart from everyone else as you read this. You were made to be your own self on purpose, to bring glory to His name.

Read this:

PSA 139:13-18 NKJV

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet  there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand...

2. Today, I am thankful for my DNA. Aren't you? :)

Two Little Feet: One Thousand Gifts of Thankfulness #1

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The sound of a baby crying a few inches from where I lie jostles and fully awakens me. At first, I frown. What could be so wrong to cause that shrill scream? Surely, whatever it is can't be that bad.

Before bedtime everything was done right. Little hands and feet shampooed and toweled dry. Jet black, curly, unruly hair oiled, caressed and brushed. Little mouth wiped dry from random spills. "Aaaah Gaaaah," he mumbled in baby language while I wiped him dry. Double layers of clothing on his chest to keep away the cold, cold night. He smelled of that fine baby powder just before he was rocked to sleep. So what could have possibly gone wrong at midnight?

It was nothing terrible, I assure you. He sucked his lips once and I knew the drill. It was hunger. It's a game we play, he sucks and I feed. Only, he likes to play the game at midnight too.

The truth is I am happy he knows how to tell me. Sometimes in life we need to snap out of the 'cries' to see the real message.

Out of the busy-ness of tight schedules, the ridiculousness of winter, and the sound of a dying car engine, I find a heart of gratitude. Father, today I am thankful for the sound of a crying baby who wants nothing but his usual milliliters of liquid food.

Do you realize how blessed you are? Even in the midst of the imperfection around you, and in the middle of the uncertainty of the future, there's one thing you can be confident about if (and only if) you constantly listen to the voice of God. This is it. Deuteronomy 28:3, "Blessed shall you be in the city & blessed shall you be in the field."

In the midst of whatever it is you find yourself in, look around you to find that one thing that makes everything else small. It's your blessing. Many times it's usually more than one thing.

PS: This year I'll be joining a host of other bloggers in counting 1000 Gifts of Thankfulness. What are you thankful for? Today, I'm thankful for two little feet. :)

We Were Made To Thirst For God

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It's windy and hot. I look down at my feet...dry, dusty, and flaky. My sandals are worn out, I've been walking down this endless path for hours searching for water. Cool, cool water to quench my raging thirst. I see something in the distance. It looks like water so I start running toward that direction. As soon as I get there I realize it was only a mirage, an optical illusion. There's no water in this place. I wrap my scarf again around my head, this time making it tighter. The winds are blowing more fiercely than before. Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock. Time is running out. The sand particles are forcing their way inside my clothes. I've got to get water. I've got to find it. I'm in a dry and thirsty land. How did I get here? How? I wake up shivering to realize I was never in that place. It was only a dream.

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"(Psalms 42:1, 2 NKJV)

We were made to thirst for Him. To seek His face before anything else. To reach the end of the pursuit of happiness and to find it in His warm embrace. Why is there this amazing desire for the Creator in our hearts? Why do we feel empty when we dare to leave His side, even for a short while? It's because without Him we are nothing. He put the desire inside us. He is the Potter and we are the clay, and the clay cannot say to the Potter, "I have no need for you."

It's like saying, "I made the sun, the moon and the stars," when I clearly didn't.

Or like saying, "I can sustain myself with my intelligence," when clearly, I've failed many times trying to do life on my own.

Many of us feel like David felt when He wrote Psalm 42. When a deer pants for water, I imagine that you will hear every dry breath coming from within that deer and it will never be satisfied until it has quenched its thirst. So also, when a man thirsts for God you will see it written all over his face and in his actions. He literally will run to God, the source of his strength. He will not be satisfied until he drinks deep. He will find sustenance only in the Word of God. He will be humble always, knowing that he did not design himself. He will be kind to people, forgiving them whenever He can. He will be merciful. A missionary (bringer of good news). A shining light whenever He can. A replica of the Father.

When a man thirsts for God, he will be like a thirsty deer...

It will be evident in His entire life. David said he felt like a deer panting for water, searching for sustenance in God. It was not a mirage. No, not an optical illusion. It was real. And He found it, He put His kingship in second place and put God first, and he became a man after God's heart when he set his priorities straight. When we become like this, God can easily show us the right path. He can easily reveal secret things to us which we would never understand without Him. He can easily hear our prayers and direct us to the answers. Because as water is to a deer, so is God to us. He is our sustenance. He knows everything and without Him we are nothing.

Today, my encouragement to you is to renew your thirst for God. Rekindle that old flame. Find those streams you once were led to. Let the Holy Spirit begin to saturate your soul with living water. Because as Jesus told that woman at the well, "If you knew who I was, you will ask me for living water and never thirst again." (paraphrased). Lord, may we thirst for You all the days of our lives and may we find satisfaction in Your living water. Amen.

Question For Your Comments: Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you feel like you're not as close as you want to be to God? I've felt that way before. But when it happened, I got back into the Word. Life can make you too busy for the most important things. In situations like this, we need to get back on track and thirst for Him daily again. Because He is our ultimate priority. And one day without Him can make a huge difference. The great news is He is always near us...He will never leave us, we just need to draw near to Him again. Stay thirsty, my friends. :)