Gratitude Overwhelming Me

Okay, so I'm late with my post again. So the first thing on my gratitude list is I am thankful no one has been bugging me to post, except for the note on my calendar, highlighted in yellow, buried underneath five other things to get done yesterday.

I am grateful for highlighters.

Think about it. Those pesky little pen-wannabes that shout your accomplishments, cry over those things you forgot, and remind you of what you should have done and didn't.

I even have Bible highlighters that don't bleed through that thin paper and blot out what's on the other side. I have them in several colors, so I can highlight according to some long-lost code -- I was once in church, and a little girl ahead of me turned around in her pew, and saw me using my highlighter in my Bible. She turned to her mother and said, "That lady is coloring in her Bible." The mother looked over her shoulder, her face red with embarrassment, and said, "It's okay." The little girl looked into her mother's eyes and asked, "How come I get in trouble when I color in my Bible?"

I'm grateful I don't get in trouble for coloring in my Bible, even when I'm not highlighting, because, yes, sometimes I do use my highlighters to color the flowers that decorate my Bible, or the oceans in the maps.

And I am grateful for sticky notes.

Yes, those pesky little reminders of things not to forget, things not important enough to write somewhere permanent, things you didn't even remember you'd forgotten until you find the note behind your desk two years later.

I use them sometimes in my Bible to mark a passage I want to turn to quickly when I'm talking with someone in a Bible study, or I'm going to read from the pulpit. They sure make it easier than trying to memorize all those books and what order they're in.

But most of all, I am grateful for Bible ribbon markers. They keep me on track, help me find important verses I turn to over and over again. When I'm at the end of my rope, I can flip open my Bible to one of these ribbon markers, and I am bound to find, at my fingertips, a verse that will set me right again. A verse that reminds me of God's promises, of His grace and mercy, of His compassion and His plans for me.

Highlighters, sticky notes, Bible ribbon markers -- tools of the trade for a Christian.

As we count the days to Thanksgiving, think about those little things in your life you are thankful for. It's good to have big reminders of God's love and care for us, but even these tiny tools of the trade can have a big impact on your life.

Lord, thank You for taking such good care of us, meeting our needs, filling our hearts, changing our lives, even when we can't see it. Remind us of Your presence in every aspect of every thing we do. In Jesus' name, Amen.