Forty Days of Praise…  and as with any other ‘do this daily’ thing I set about to do, I’m in catch-up mode…  Yes, I even do that with sleep and food – anything that’s not screamingly urgent like, well, disposing of food.

4. I am thankful for the people who believe in me.  There is a long line of them, from my childhood until this very moment.  They encourage, support, pray for, and listen to me.  They help me believe in myself when it seems a worthless endeavor – because they believe, and have invested so much, I cannot surrender.
5. I am thankful for the people who don’t believe in me.  Yes, be they arrogant, obnoxious, or simply indifferent, they send me running to my Creator, and He shows up, every time.  In response to their harsh critiques and low value judgments, He reminds me that His opinion trumps all, and He has designed my nature and my pathways specifically for His purposes.
6. I am thankful for Godly examples.  There is a long line of these too…very long… Biblical characters with faith and flaws that match my own.  Heroes of the faith who have stood against insurmountable odds to transcribe, print, and distribute Bibles…to rescue people deemed unworthy to live…to bring the gospel into hostile territories for the sake of those who would believe…to stand against the pressures of society, government, and even church itself when necessary.  Other heroes, their stories not broadcast, but told quietly anyway, in regular observance of their life and faith, have been placed in my life, and some of them still believe in me.
7. I am thankful for un-Godly examples.  These, at times, are examples of how not to do things.  At other times, they offer the pearls of wisdom that cause me to trust smokers above sunday school teachers.  These are the tax collectors and sinners that Jesus was maligned for hanging around with, but He found them to be more honest and exercise more faith than the religious wing-nuts of His day.  Sometimes, so do I.

Now it’s off to another appointment, then another big effort to meet a looming deadline, after which I’ll do more catching-up…