God Smiles

12/15/2010

Got up at 8am this morning and fixed coffee while I did my harvesting in Farmville and served my dishes in Cafe World. Al got up around 8:15am, dragging ass, but he went and did his morning business, grabbed some coffee and a cigarette and sat down to watch the weather. He putzed, is what he did. He got up for a second cup of coffee and another cigarette and I was chomping at the bit to get going to the Y. Needless to say, because of his putzing, we never made it.

We had to go to the Navy Exchange this morning an by the time he was actually ready to go, there was no way we could go to the Y for longer than an hour... maybe 45 minutes if we were lucky. So off we went to the NEX and then to Office Depot so I could get some poster board and markers. I made a very cool sign for when Amy and I go to the Bears game the day after Christmas.

If you actually GET the Bears game on TV, look for us. I'll be wearing my Bears Santa Hat and holding up a huge sign that says, "#54 Brian Urlacher, will you marry me? P.S. Don't tell my husband I asked." If you actually see me on TV, you can point and say, "I know that crazy woman."

Al got off to work but I didn't get up to much of anything today - Facebook mostly, trying to put things together for the Twelve in 12, which Amy and I have offered to run for the coming year. Be prepared to hear all about it more as we get closer to January 1st. I just don't feel like writing about it today. And I've been watching DVR'd episodes of the view and my soaps, trying to get as caught up as possible. I still have a Netflix movie here to watch, too, that I have yet to get around to watching.

Fixed some lunch, did the dishes, and I tried to do them with a joyful heart. I putzed a bit about making dinner, but even that, too, I tried to do joyfully and with Jesus in mind. Yesterday's entry really stuck with me.

Because I've been doing so many different things today, none of which take much energy, I put off reading my chapter for today until just a little while ago, which is why this entry is so late in coming. I'll have to try and remedy that tomorrow.

Today's chapter is about what makes God smile. Pleasing God and making him smile is the goal of my life. I rather like the idea of God looking upon me as I live my life, and smiling, rather than frowning when I screw up. It seems the screw ups and sins are the things that stick with me, but they shouldn't be. It should be the things I do that make God smile.

The book outlines five acts of worship that make God smile:

God smiles when we love him supremely.
God smiles when we trust him completely.
God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly.
God smiles when we praise and thank him continually.
God smiles when we use our abilities.
There's probably a lot I could write about each one of those things, but I just don't have the gumption to do it at the moment. I'm the one who's dragging right now, and think I'm going to wind up in bed early tonight.

Point to Ponder: God smiles when I trust him.

Verse to Remember: Psalm 147:11 - The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love.

Question to Consider: Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?

In answer to today's question to consider, I think the biggest area of my life where I need to trust in God completely is in my forgiveness. I need to remember that when I confess my sins, I AM forgiven. I am ALWAYS loved, but I AM forgiven. The slate is wiped clean and I don't have to worry or beat myself up about those things any longer. I expect perfection from myself, which I suppose is a sin of pride in itself, but even God doesn't expect perfection from me. He knows what each of us are made of and knows that we can never be perfect or without sin. But when we at least TRY to do those five acts of worship, it makes him smile.

I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have God smiling at me than shaking his head in disgust.

I also need to trust that God knows me intimately. He knows my fears and I don't think he's going to force me into a situation where my biggest fears are realized. He knows I fear death, especially a painful or violent death, like in an accident or something. I believe I have to trust in God that when my time comes, he's going to make it quick and not violent because I fear it so much.

I have to trust that God is looking out for me, even if I don't see or feel his hand at work in my life. I know he's there. That's the biggest trust of all. Believing and knowing he's there, even when I can't see or feel him.