and forget not all His benefits

praise the LORD, o my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. praise the LORD, o my soul, and forget not all His benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

-psalm 103: 1-5

wow, what a refreshing passage! how often do i stop and praise Him for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me? how often do i think about what i have and what others lack and fall on my face and praise His name? let me tell you the answer: not nearly enough. there is no way that i could ever count the blessings that have been bestowed upon me: i go to a wonderful college, i have incredible friends, i have the love of my life to stand beside me and support me, i have a wonderful mom who supports me, i have enough food to eat, a comfortable bed to sleep in, the list goes on and on and on. and yet, when i look at myself and at my life do i see the great things or do i look for things that could make it better?

sure, things could always be better, that’s just a fact of life. there are only two things that people hate: change and when things stay the same. [how’s that for human nature?] while things could always be better, i am reminded that things could always be worse. i could be [alone], i could live in a world [without] hope, i could wake up every morning knowing that i am the one that has to be in control of my future. thankfully i have hope in Jesus Christ, i rest in the fact that i am built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. because of Christ the pressure is off. the debt has been paid, my slate has been wiped clean and i am free to praise Him and bring glory to the Father, yet i fail at that daily.

prayer of praise: thank-you Father for giving me life, giving me love, and showing me compassion, so that i may show it to the world around me. thank-you for holding me close to you and guiding my steps, so that i do not have to walk alone. praise to be You and You alone, Abba Father.

take some time to praise Him for the blessings in your life, if you're anything like me you'll feel humbled at all of the blessings that you've been given, and at the same time feel guilty for ever feeling entitled for more. praise be to Him that we can never be separated from His love that covers all.

for i am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-romans 8:38-39

[supportive] family.

[wonderful] best friend (boyfriend).

and the list [goes on and on].

i have been blessed.

just a thought.