Gifts.

This is one of my favorite things in all of God's creation. Sure, I love mountains. I love the ocean. But the sky. The sky is always changing. It's always new. It's always beautiful. It's also a daily reminder for me: This is a new day. I don't deserve it. It's certainly not owed to me. It is a gift. All gifts require a giver, and the giver of this day, all days, is a richly rewarding Father who delights in giving His children gifts.

I've been reading One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. I learned about it through a friend and started reading it last week.

Oh. My.

Besides being an incredibly talented writer, she gets it. I mean really gets it. It is the story of her journey and how she learned to see God more through giving thanks in everything. Seeing the miracle of everyday life through simple gratitude. She began a list of 1,000 things that she saw as a gift, and how through purposely trying to see the beauty and wonder in every moment, we can slow time and see Him more and more.

Needless to say, it's been messing me up. In a good way. I've started my list. I'm going to be thankful in everything. At least...I'm going to try. I know I'm going to fail. My stubborn, foolish, prideful, ungrateful self is going to get in the way. That's a given. I just need to recognize that all that was crucified with Christ, and He is making me new everyday. I can't rely on my own strength.

New mercies. Pink and purple skies scream Mercy. The glory of Him is painted across the morning sky and I know He is there.

I think the heaviest thing I've read so far in her book, basically is when she said (and I'm paraphrasing) "He doesn't owe us anything. We owe Him everything. After all, He might not have done it."

 He may have not chosen to save us. He didn't have to. But He did.

We need not receive a single gift from His hand to be utterly in His debt and give Him ceaseless praise until we take our last breath. The One sacrifice made on Calvary was enough. IS enough. He is always enough. Yet still He gives. And blesses and gives.

This is what He has been showing me, the art of gratitude, of living, of seeing Him in everything because

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Col 1:17