On Being Humble

“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5 CEB)

Humble.  Every time I hear that word I can't help but also hear the song in my head, "Oh, Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way..."  Funny song, but a little off the mark.  I don't think God wants us to not have good self-esteem and self-confidence (although our esteem and confidence should always first be in God).  I think it is more about understanding that we are no better or worse than anybody else and finding the surprise that we should be as blessed as we are.

I remember several years ago when I first started doing devotions.  Two other people and I were writing daily devotions and shared them with only each other.  At the end of the devotion we would share some things we were thankful for.  After a while, our gratitude lists got pretty predictable:  morning coffee, beautiful sunset, family, etc.  But one day, after reading news about genocide going on in a far-off country, one of my friends wrote that she was thankful that she had never been forced to watch her child tortured and killed.  Wow.  So much for my morning coffee.

But why is it you and I have never had to endure something like that?  Millions of people... no better than you or me... have had that kind of agony.  We should even be surprised that we are not in like circumstances... and be very grateful.  That is an extreme example, perhaps.  But our humility should teach us to be grateful... not just with our words, but with our heart and soul... that we are not homeless or hungry; that we have people who love us; that we have dependable vehicles.  And we should be surprised.  Maybe we work for some of those things, but for some people, no matter how hard they work, they will never have what we have.  And they are no better or worse than we are.

With this kind of humility, we can be easily and deeply grateful for every can of food in our pantry, every book on our bookshelf, every pair of shoes under our bed.  We can be amazed that we have so much and wonder why... why am I so blessed when my brother or sister is in need.  This kind of gratitude opens our hands to give, not because we think we are so great and should give to those who are beneath us, but because we can't understand why we have and they don't.

And then, when we are humble to that point, God does one of his incredible God-things and exalts us.  When we make ourselves low, God lifts us high.  And he gives us the world.

Father,
It is mostly by accident of birth that I live where I live and have what I have.  Help me to be constantly amazed and grateful.  Amen.

Find Joy

People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” (Luke 18:15-17 MSG)

Grandparenting.  There is simply nothing life has to offer that can top it.  Can I get an AMEN from you other grandparents out there?  I just love the squeals of laughter that come from 14-month-old Emma when we play peek-a-boo, or when her Uncle Daniel lifts her high in the air or when she plays on the floor with her daddy.  I love the joyful jumping from 5-year-old Cecelia when she beats her daddy at a video game or she plays Hide-From-Kaymee with Opah.

Small children get so much pleasure out of the simplest things.  They laugh and giggle and dance and squeal with delight over the wind blowing a leaf in a circle or a ball rolling towards them or a Christmas tree with lots of blinking lights.  When do we lose that?  Is it when we discover the "how" behind the miracle?  Do we stop laughing at peek-a-boo when we suddenly understand that the blanket didn't really make us disappear?

Jesus tells us that we should have the faith of a child.  I don't think that means we shouldn't try to grow in our faith, but I think we need to retain a certain amount of innocence.  The kind of innocence that makes us stand in awe of even the miracles that don't seem like miracles anymore.... a sunrise, popcorn, fireflies, Autumn leaves, Spring blooms....

Gratitude brings back that sense of awe... that delight in the simplest of things.  Ann VosKamp puts it this way:  "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it!"  Just hanging out with your grandchildren for an hour can bring so much joy.  And not just because you love your grandchildren, but because they know how to find joy and they give it to you.   You don't have to wait until they come again to be that joyful.  Find it yourself in the most simple of things.  Then you can share it with them next time.

Father,
Help us to find the joy in the simple things again as we look through the eyes of a child.  Bring us the wonder and awe of this amazing and beautiful world.  Amen.

What Is It?

He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness. (Deuteronomy 8:16 NIV)

Do you remember the story of the Isrealites in the wilderness and the manna?  Out of food and starving, God's children complain and he answers them with this bread from heaven.  If you recall, the manna came each morning.  The people could only gather up enough for one day... any extra would rot overnight.  So they literally had to trust God for their daily bread.

Something I did not know... the word "manna,"  literally translated, means "what is it."

Every day we collect our own manna... our "what is it."  If we trust God and give thanks we will recognize each gift as nourishment for our soul.  There is so much manna we fail to recognize, and our souls go hungry.  Sometimes we are too busy complaining of hunger to see it.  Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by hurt that we have forgotten how to trust and how to give thanks.  Sometimes, we have an overabundance of fake manna... the stuff that feeds our ego, but not our souls and not our spirits... so we don't bother to look for the true manna.

This manna really is a miracle.  It feeds us in ways we can't begin to imagine until we pick it up, wonder "what is it" and give thanks.  It strengthens us.  It revitalizes us.  It helps us find joy when we thought joy had dried up.

Maybe you didn't find the manna yesterday for whatever reason.  But look for it today.  It may be right under your feet.

Father,
Thank you for feeding us each day... not only our bodies, but our souls.  Help us to find that miraculous manna today.  Amen.

And so it begins...

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV)

I'm going to take a break today from the Thanksgiving devotions.  20 days in and I am finding that there are a limited amount of ways to say, "It is good to give thanks."  I probably have a couple of more in me, but today I want to focus on something else.

Already... before the season has officially begun... I am hearing the complaining and reading the whining on Facebook and blogs from well-meaning Christians:  "It's Merry Christmas; not happy holidays!"  "Keep Christ in Christmas; it's not Xmas."  "My faith is being persecuted because my town hall won't put up a manger scene!"  Christians?  Really?  All I here is... me, me, me, me... it's all about me and what I want... and what I believe... and how I want to celebrate.  I've heard about religious groups that try to make whole countries act according to their beliefs - Richard has spent the last 10 years helping to fight against them.

I stumbled upon a blog by someone who calls himself "fat pastor" the other day.  He wrote about "11 Ways to BE Christ at Christmas."  Number one was great and I am pasting it here.  And then I hope you will go on to read the rest of if by following this link:  http://fatpastor.me/2013/11/15/11-ways-to-bechristinchristmas/

1. Don’t get mad at people when they wish you “Happy Holidays.”  I’m not sure who decided that anger is the right Christian response to a polite greeting from a stranger.  I say “Happy Holidays” all the time.  Is it because I’m a politically correct, overly emotional, too-sensitive, mamby-pamby, liberal pinko who hates Christmas and wants to hang an Obama Tree in my living room?  Maybe, but I’m only a few of those things (I’m not telling which).  I just think it is a nice thing to say.  People that are looking for Christ at the check-out register of Target might be looking in the wrong place.  Frankly, I’m not too interested in finding Christ at my daughter’s public school either.  Check that.  I can find Christ anywhere, but I find it in the heart of my neighbor, not in slogans, signs, or songs.

Lord Jesus,
Sometimes in our love for you, we forget exactly who you are and how you would handle these same situations.  Help us to BE you this Christmas and share your love, even with those who don't believe the same things we do.  Amen.

It's About Trust

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The lament of every teenager that is told they can't stay out late or they can't date a certain person or they can't stay by themselves while the parents are away for the weekend.... "You don't TRUST me!!"

Trust is something that doesn't usually happen immediately in any relationship except the trust a child has for a parent.  We have to get to know the person.  We have to experience their honesty and reliability.  And if they mess up... we may be able to forgive them, but there will be a trust issue there for a long, long time that might never get mended.  One time.  That's all it takes.  Building someone's trust is hard, but rebuilding it is 100 times harder.

God gives us the seen and the unseen.  Seen, is the world around us and how it works.  We see creation and relationships and events.  The unseen is the things of faith... God's existence and his love for us and a purpose to life.  The seen can be good or bad or even somewhere in between.  But if we look, we can always see God's hand in it; whether it is in the thing itself or in the goodness of the response to something not good.

It is our practice of gratitude that helps us see the beauty of the seen things, even if they don't seem so good at first glance.  And it is that gratitude that teaches us that God is good... ALL the time.  And we can trust God to be good no matter what.

In Ann VosKamps gratitude calendar that I am following, she asks one day a month to list three gifts that are "ugly/beautiful."  It's about finding joy in the mess... like a child's drawing on your freshly painted wall... ugly/beautiful.  Your spouse's battered and bruised - but not mortally injured - body after a car accident...ugly/beautiful.

Full trust in God is about finding the beautiful in the ugly.  No matter how ugly, it is there.  It's a matter of opening our eyes.  It's a matter of practiced gratitude.  It's a matter of trust in a God who is good... all the time.

Father,
Help us to see the beauty in something we would have thought to be ugly today.  Amen.

Well of Joy

Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. (Genesis 21:19 NIV)

Do you remember the story about Abraham and Sarah?  God told Abraham that he would have a son and instead of waiting for God, they made arrangements for Sarah's handmaid, Hagar, to have Abraham's son.  After Isaac was born, the result... of course... was jealosy.  And Sarah demanded that Hagar and her son leave.  Stranded in the wilderness, Hagar had given up and was ready for her and her son to die of thirst when God showed her the well that was right there near them.

Now, Ann VosKamp says it so well:

"In the wilderness, I keep circling back to this:  I'm blind to joy's well every time I really don't want it. The well is always there.  And I choose not to see it.  Don't I really want joy?  Don't I really want the fullest life?  For all my yearning for joy, longing for joy, begging for joy - is the bald truth that I prefer the empty dark?  Prefer drama?  Whey do I lunge for control instead of joy?"

The well is there even in our deepest wilderness.  Is the only way to find that well of joy to give up on life and give up on joy so that God will show it to us?  I don't think so.  I think that if we expect joy, we will find it even in the most unlikely places.... in the cancer wings... in the funeral homes... in the tornado-devasted communities and typhoon-destroyed island nations.

God has placed the wells where we can find them on our own, but if we are not looking for them, we won't see them.  If we think we have the answer, we won't even look for them.  If we give up, maybe God will reveal them.  But sometimes our heartache is so big that it closes our eyes even to what God tries to show us.

We need to find those wells before our wilderness times come.  That way we will know exactly how to find them in the dark.  Practice joy.  Practice thankfullnes.  Practice, practice, practice!

Father,
Help us to choose to see the well of joy that is right here, right now.  Amen.

UNfocus

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. - 1 Corinthians 13:12

In at least one of my devotions from the last couple of weeks I talked about the need to focus on the moment.  But sometimes, focus can be the problem.  We can be so focused on providing for our family, that we fail to notice the real needs of our family.  We can be so focused on creating a healthy body through exercise that we fail to enjoy the simpler things a healthy body can enjoy.  We can be so focused on religion, that we completely miss Jesus.

If you have never taken this selective attention test, please follow this link and take the test now before you continue reading.  It takes less than a minute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

The first time I saw this, I was blown away.  How could I miss it?  I really thought it was a joke in the way it was edited.  But no... when I restarted the video from the beginning, there it was, big as life.  We really believe we won't miss the really important things in life, but so many of us label the wrong things "important."  And our focus is skewed.  We become comfortable, but not joyful.  We become healthy, but not happy.  We become smart, but not wise.

The gorillas dance in front of us every single day... and we miss them because we are so concerned with the stuff that really doesn't matter.  We don't just discount it... we are completely and overwhelmingly blind to it. Unfocus today... from all the stuff that usually keeps your attention.  Take notice of a gorilla or two today... and give thanks.

Father,
Keep us from being blind to the really important things in life.  Show us the gorilla that is dancing right in front of us.  Amen.

The Mundane Challenges

Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” (Matthew 14:15 ESV)

So, we've talked about "hard eucharisteo."  Being able to find grace in the most terrible trials of life.  But, you know... I think any person of true faith has learned to do that.  What else can we do when our world is falling apart, but look for something to sustain us?  And when we look, we find.

I think the real "hard eucharisteo" comes from the mundane challenges of life:  the kids are constantly fighting; the car breaks down and we know it's going to cost a lot more than we have to fix it; the gossipy co-worker has targeted us; gas prices and grocery prices are going up... again; our spouse has been moody and argumentative; a miscalculation in our checking account has bounced a check and now we face the resulting and seemingly endless bank fees; the grandchild tug-of-war with the in-laws.  And you really have to love when all of this happens at once!

No death... no life-changing injury or illness... no divorce or job loss.  Just the nit-picky stuff that happens in real life.  How do we give thanks in the midst of this?  How do we even remember to look for the grace when we are balancing all this stuff?  I freely admit it... when my car won't start and I need to be somewhere, the last thing I am thinking is "hmmm... where do I see God here?"

Two things can help:

1.  If we are truly practicing thanksgiving and acknowledging each gift of God as it comes and really articulating why we are thankful for it, maybe the first thing we think of during the mundane challenges WILL be "where do I see God."  It will become second... no, first nature to us.  It will have become more natural for us to find the grace than to curse the situation.

2.  Christian community.  If we have a group of Christians friends to whom we can vent about all these things, they can help us remember to look for the grace.  They might even be able to point it out for us.  I arrived late to work the other day and complained to my co-worker that everything that morning seemed to be against me getting to work on time.  She said, maybe I avoided a car accident by being late.  She pointed out the grace that I didn't even bother to look for.

Jesus took the mundane challenge of people over-staying their welcome and instead of complaining, gave thanks and the miracle of the loaves and fishes occured.  You will haave a mundane challenge today.  When you find yourself stressing about one of these situations, stop.  Breathe.  Say a prayer... of thanksgiving.  And find the grace... and maybe a miracle.

Father,
Help us not to get so sidetracked by our day to day problems that we forget to give thanks.  Help us to be so practiced at acknowledging you that looking for grace will come naturally even in the mundane.  Amen.

And I Was Not Aware...

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” -Genesis 28:16

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,41 “What do you want me to do for you?”-Luke 18:40-41

You have to wonder about Jesus' question to the blind man... "What do you want me to do for you?"  Uh... duh... Jesus.  In case you didn't notice, I'm blind!  

I don't think Jesus was being obtuse. God knows what we want and he knows what we need.  It's us who really get confused between the two.  And quite often, we don't even know what we really want, especially in this "gotta have it" society in which we live.  Our tendency is usually to want what someone else has.

When God asks us what we want, it is because he wants us to figure it out. He's leading us to put it into words.  Do we really want a bigger house?  Or do we want to learn how to appreciate the house we already have?  Do we want to make more money?  Or do we want to learn how to live within our means?  Do we want to be healed?  Or do we want to learn how to bring God glory through our infirmity?

That's where deepening our gratitude comes in.  It's not enough to just say, "I'm thankful for my job."  We should try to articulate exactly what it is about our job we are thankful for.  Think about the work you do and those who benefit from your job.  Think about the people that you interact with each and every day and how they bless your life.  Think about how you are compensated... paycheck, benefits, etc.  

And instead of complaining about each of these things, find a way to be grateful.  What if you didn't have clients/customers?  What if you were physically unable to do what you do? What if your pay was suddenly cut in half?  When you think about it this way, you will find yourself saying, like Jacob did, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

God is everywhere and in everything and every circumstance.  We just are seldom aware of it until we take the time to look... really look.

Father,
Make us aware of what we already have so that we might curb our insatiable appetite for more, more, more.  Amen.

Look For the Grace

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (John 1:16 ESV)

"Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort, perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life?" -Ann VosKamp "One Thousand Gifts Bible Study Guide"

In my last devotion, I talked about "hard eucharisteo" and my belief that those things that cause us hurt do not come from the hand of God, but that He works in and through them.  The way we see God acting in those times is through moments of grace.

One situation that was hard for me was shortly after the attack on the Twin Towers.  Since Richard was a reservist, I knew it was only  a matter of time before he was called to active duty.  This really was very difficult for me.  I had boys in middle school and just beginning high school at the time.  How could I finish the job of raising them without Richard?  But there was grace after grace.  Richard wasn't called away until after Daniel got his driver's license.  This was a big help to me.  Richard was between deployments when it was time to move Daniel to a college dorm room.  He was home when Daniel "suprised" us with the news of his becoming a father.  And more grace... technology that made frequent communication easy.... a quick rise in rank to help us out of a life of financial struggle... and many more things.

Another situation was the unexpected death of my mother.  It was an emotional time for me and my 3 sisters and my brother.  But we found the grace, beautiful and even miraculous... a very real gift from God in a song that was very reminiscent of our mom that played again and again at the most appropriate times and in unexpected ways.  It was so comforting and let us know that God was right there with us and had it all under control.

When the hard things in life hit... and they will... look for the grace.  It will be all around you, but you won't notice it unless you look.

Father,

Thank you for the many moments of grace in the hard times of life that make us able to give that "hard eucharisteo."  Amen.

Hard Eucharisteo

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”  (Job 2:10 NIV)

Day 7 of gratitude.  If you have been reading my devotions daily, you know I have decided to take the whole month of November to focus on being grateful.  I have been using a calendar from Ann VosKamp which suggests different catagories of things to be thankful for and posting the on Facebook and I am enjoying that.  But I have also been keeping a gratitude journal by my side and jotting down the little things all day long.

And God is good.

But what does that mean, "God is good?"  Does it just mean he is good when I find wonderful, feel-good, fuzzy-wuzzies to write down in my journal?  In my journal I wrote:  "a warm home on a cold day with the touch of a button."  What if that button had not worked?  What if the heat was on the fritz?  Would that mean God is not good?

I wrote: "the first sip of morning coffee."  What if the coffee had tasted bad?  Would that mean God is not good?

And then there are the huge things... school shootings, war, starvation, slavery of the worst kind.  Does this mean God is not good?  Or are these in some way also good gifts from a good God?  Ann VosKamp talks about "hard eucharisteo."  Giving thanks for things when we do not feel the grace, the joy, the thanks.  Giving thanks to God when our devestated hearts want to curse him instead.

Ann talks about needing to look through a different lens... God's lens.  But I only partly agree with her.  I don't think these things that hurt so many people are from God's hands.  After all, we are not all puppets on heavenly strings.  We have free will.  But I do think that God works through and in tragedy and evil  I think the hard Eucharisteo is in finding God's response to the terrible things that happen in our lives.  God is good in spite of the bad that happens.

But then... couldn't the good things I am thankful for come from the free will of people as well?  Yes! But the good that people do is in response to a graceful and loving God... even if they don't realize that they are responding to God.  And we give thanks to God that he brings out this response in his children.

Hard Eucharisteo.  I don't ever see myself giving thanks for things that hurt others.  But I can give thanks that God will move to comfort that hurt and bring good out of it.

Father,
Help us to see you when it looks like you are not there.  And when we find you, help us to help others to see you too.  Amen.

Slowing Down Time

“We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing” (Psalm 39:6).

Every Monday I see the posts all over Facebook:  "Ugghh Monday!"  "Hurry up Friday!"  And the rest of the week:  "Is it really only Tuesday?"  "Yay, hump day!... Friday is nearly here!"  We begin all of our weeks wishing them to be over.  I'm guilty.  Who wouldn't rather be spending time with family... cookouts, sporting events, traveling?  But the fact is, the five days in between each weekend contain a lot more minutes than the weekend.  And we rush them.  We wish our very lives away!

Being thankful and living a life of Eucharisteo is mostly about slowing down time by living in each moment.  From Ann VosKamp:

"They say time is money, but that’s not true. Time is life. And if I want the fullest life, I need to find fullest time."

When we hurry through life, going from one thing to the next without ever pausing to experience the moments, we are not saving time, we are really just throwing it away.  We are not experiencing the time.   God gives us Eucharisteo moments even at work, if we will just watch for them.  And it's not enough to just acknowledge them in passing.  Open the gift by writing it down.  We can't always write it down in the moment, but if you are truly thankful for it, you can hold onto it for a more opportune moment.

Make an effort today to slow down your week by finding the joy in it... the interaction with coworkers or clients or customers.  Using your talents to the fullest.  Successes.  Lessons learned from mistakes.  The view from a window. Write it down.  Slow it down.  Give the thanks.  Unwrap the joy.

Father,
As we go about about our work week, show us the joy.  Help us to stop throwing away time and live in each beautiful, miraculous moment by giving thanks.  Amen

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:11, 12 NIV)

If you skipped over the scripture above, go back.  Read it.  Ponder it for a minute or two.  Did you notice a word used twice?  "Learned."  Paul had to learn how to be content whether in plenty or in need.  It wasn't something that came naturally.  There is a secret to it... and Paul learned that secret.  The "secret" really isn't a secret at all.  It's just that we don't take the time in our busy lives to practice it... gratitude.  That is the big secret.

I'm sure you heard the one about the tourist in New York City that asked someone on the street, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"  The answer:  "Practice, practice, practice!"  Practice is how we learn just about anything.  Practice gives us experience.  Every employment application asks us to list our experience.

How much experience do you have using that "secret of contentment"... gratitude?  Do you want to be more content?  Do you want to be able to take joy in your life as it is right now?  Practice, practice, practice!  Get out a pen and a little notebook or open your Notes app on your phone.  Carry it around with you all day and list everything you can think of to be thankful for... the sunrise, the person who let you in front of her in traffic, the fact that your office computer didn't crash when you turned it on, your job, your coworkers, coffee breaks, a delicious lunch.... and on and on and on until the sunset and your warm home and comfortable bed.

With practice, practice, practice, you will one day even be able to be grateful for the hard things, knowing that even those come from the hand of God who knows the end of every story... who knows the good that comes from the heartache... who knows that there is beauty even in death, for it means the end of pain.

I hope to one day get to the Carnegie Hall of gratitude.  I plan to practice, practice, practice.

Father,
Make me grateful even for the hard things in life, for your grace abounds even in these.  Amen.

Kicking the Bucket List

“It’s the praising life that honors me. As soon as you set your foot on the Way, I’ll show you my salvation.” (Psalm 50:23 MSG)

Bucket lists... I get the idea.  They are meant to urge us on to do greater things... to reach for the stars... to break away from the humdrum... to stir a little excitement in life.  But they also do something else.  They make our everyday lives feel unimportant.  A long bucket list with few check marks can make us feel like we have accomplished little in our lives.  It makes us feel unfullfilled.

Don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to sky dive or climb Mt. Everest or go on an African Safari or travel to Antarctica.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to do the extraordinary as long as it doesn't make you ungrateful for the ordinary.

Think of it... When Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist he didn't use cavier and 40-year-old scotch... things rare and extraordinary.  No.  He used ordinary bread and ordinary wine.  And he gave thanks.  When we are at the end of our lives, and unable to participate fully in life, the things will will miss most are the most ordinary things... watching a sunset, tending a garden, cooking a meal... even brushing our teeth or standing under a hot shower.

When our hearts are filled with gratitude for these ordinary, daily gifts, the bucket list seems so much less important.  And these gifts are so easy to find when we make the effort to live in the moment and experience each gift AS a gift.  And then write it down.  The writing it down is so important.  Ann VosKamp writes, "This writing it down...it's sort of like... unwrapping love."  I have found that when I write down something simple that I am grateful for, it makes me smile.  Because I have found the joy in it.  I am thankful for the grace I have received and it brings me joy.  Thankfulness, grace, joy... all ideas found in the Greek word, Eucharisteo.

Consider kicking the bucket list... out.  Focus more or what we have right here, right now.  Find the extraordinary in the ordinary.  Write it down.  Unwrap the love.  Feel the joy.

Father,
Help us to take more joy in the life we have rather than continually chase new and bigger experiences.  You have already given us so much.  Grow us in gratitude.  Amen.