Counting

"Is that why the Israelites kept recounting their past- to trust God for their future? Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, a way of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried. 'Gratitude is the memory of the heart,' writes Jean Baptiste Massieu, but gratitude is not only the memories of our heart; gratitude is a memory of God's heart and to thank is to remember God." (Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts, pg. 152, emphasis mine)

Remember: (v) to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; to retain in the memory; keep in mind.
Gratitude: (n) the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.
Memory: (n) the mental capactiy or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions etc.; the act or fact of retaining and recalling impressions, facts, etc.
Thank: (v) to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgement to.
(definitions from dictionary.reference.com)

I have been reading this book over the last few months. Some weeks more than others but each time I pick it up, God has a new revelation for me. I would recommend this book to anyone! The last post I wrote(now 2 posts ago), I talked about needed to refocus my eyes. And so as I begin to figure out how to do that, I've been thinking about seeing this world, seeing people and God's creation, through Jesus' eyes. As I drive down streets I see green trees, I see grass growing, I take in birds sitting on telephone poles, and I can't help but think of God. If you saw me walking from my house to my car, you'd probably think I should be committed. I walk slow, I catch a glimpse of a bird flying and I literally stop and watch. I take in the wings flapping quickly, how the bird smoothly makes its way through the air, the sound it makes as it's moving. Once again... God.

Little Buddy A who meets me in front of my door almost everyday when I get home.

Little Buddy B who joins little Buddy A. They are just too cute!

So this idea of looking through God's eyes and seeing the world as He see's it leads me to want to accomplish a similar task to Ann's ...I want to spend some time writing down and numbering gifts. But I don't want to just start in the present like Ann did. I want to go back, and I want to be able to add to this list as time moves forward, to be able to do as the Israelites did and recount my past so that, I too, can trust God with my future.

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1. My Salvation through Jesus- Jan 2006
2. Nanny job- taught me so much about being a mom/caretaker & got me into college- Dec 2007
3. Finding my home church- Aug 2007
4. Joining my bible study- Feb 2008
5. Best 3 months when I look back and see how God grew my relationship with Him to all whole new level. Aug-Dec 2009
6. Official job at the church in Children's Ministry- Jan 2010
7. Short trip to Romania- Oct 2010
8. First contact with SIM organization- Oct 2011
9. SIMStart Training- May 2012
10. Missions oriented friends.
11. A mentor.
12. My family's support.
13. Realization that God's timing is incomparable to mine.
14. The joy in knowing that God wants to use me to accomplish something much bigger than myself.
15. Possibility of getting to serve overseas for an extended period of time.
16. Late nights of fellowship with friends; sharing life together.
17. Laughter and smiles, even when it's difficult.
18. Eternal perspective on life; replacing the fear of death with the joy of life everlasting.
19. Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
20. Emails, even if they don't tell me exactly what I want to hear- 5.31.12
21. Purchase of an international cell phone. I won't have to get a new one when I go overseas.
22. A day with a couple hours of nothing. The quiet of the fan blowing, music playing, breakfast in bed, hours to get ready. Friend time. Jesus time.