So easy to forget to take notice and give God the glory!

Hello all you Friday people, it's that day you've been waiting for all week, and I bid you greetings on this July 16, 2010. It's so easy to forget. One day this week I was working on a project with a gentleman from outside our company. As we were walking out towards our shop he stopped. He looked around and he said this to me, "How wonderful it must be to work in such a beautiful setting." I mumbled an agreement of sorts but later I thought about how easy it is to miss the blessings that surround us each day. We noticed this when we were in Scotland. The folks that live in the highlands region live in a veritable paradise of pristine beauty but if you mention it to them they shrug. I was visiting an office in Denver and talking to a fellow at his desk. I looked over his shoulder out the large window and saw a snow capped mountain with the sun glistening all around it. I exclaimed how wonderful it must be to live in the midst of a calendar photo. His response, "Oh yeah, sure, nice, isn't it?" Yesterday my dear older buddy here at work, Bro. Jim, was sipping coffee with me out on the porch to our office and he was telling me about the five different deer he had seen on his way in. He said he saw a beautiful doe with her fawn and he pulled over just to watch them. He commented how beautiful God's creation is. My last thoughts about the deer had something to do with hoping none of those suckers would cross in front of me. We do get immune to God's gifts that surround us, don't we?

I knew why the folks in Scotland didn't pause to notice their untouched surroundings. They had chores to do. They had sheep to tend to. They had stuff to get done. The fellow in Denver had our meeting in front of him and we had business to accomplish. We are busy busy people and many times the oppressive weight of the nitty gritty details mar our vision and cause us to have to be reminded by an outsider who can see the beauty of the landscape that we live and work in. I commuted for over twenty years into the concrete jungles of the mega metroplex, therefore, me, more than anyone else should be aware of my country style work place. And I am. I have written about how neat it is to work in a place like this. I have written about how much I enjoy coming here each day. I have written about how different it is to the loud, hurried, hustle and bustle of the downtown environment. Yes, I said all those things but we all can get sloppy in our perception of all that God has given to us including the beauty around us. My wife and I visited a wonderful scenic part of Colorado once and we were driving through these magnificent scenes and I wondered to myself, does anyone else see what we are seeing? But alas, the gas pump didn't work, the plumbing has a problem, and I am all covered up with projects and plans.

Thank you Lord for sending a stranger to remind me of some handfuls on purpose that you have given to me that I have neglected to notice and acknowledge. Thank you for the job I have and the place I work and being able to enjoy the people I work with, like Bro. Jim sitting out on the porch swapping stories and laughing together. Thank you for the little things that really do count for something like the birds that swarm the feeders behind my mom and dad's place and the sounds of children excited and laughing on their way to our neighborhood pool. These are not insignificant because we know that all good things come from above. (James 1:17) The song is absolutely correct: "Count your many blessings, Name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done!" That's a good way to end the work week and prepare for our Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. Maybe you can take a moment or two and look around. Sure, there's always issues and troubles and trials, but they too are a part of the "all things that work together for good for those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) I'll see what comes up between now and Monday and meanwhile I'll say a prayer of thanks for Bambi while trying to swerve to miss her on the road! May God bless. Amen. ....More later.