Friday, February 6, 2015

Did I Forget to Thank You?



Acts 14:17
Yet he has not left himself without testimony:  He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their season; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

For years now, my husband, Danny, and I have fed both birds and squirrels in our back yard.  Though the squirrels cannot raid the actual bird feeders, we spread sunflower seeds on the ground for them and entice them, too, with corn-cob looking treats especially for our furry mischief makers.  We never tire of watching the squirrels' playful and often comical antics as they forage for food and chase one another up and down trees or across the yard.

And one would think that after the countless times I've reloaded the feeders and leave a generous offering of seeds for the squirrels, they would know I'm not a human to be feared.  Oh, mind you, I've crept up pretty close to them, especially if they are absorbed in gorging themselves and seemingly oblivious to what's happening in their environs.




Yet the moment they catch a glimpse of me, it's as if they've seen the Boogieman.  Off they scamper in a mad frenzy to escape my imagined clutches.

I know the squirrels are keeping their eyes on me from a safe distance, though, because in the short time it takes me to enter the garage, go upstairs and into the kitchen, I can see from my windows that they have already returned to the feasting site.  Eating contentedly, they act as if I have never been there.  And most certainly, in their little minds, I have little or nothing to do with the reappearance of plenteous offering on their dirt floor of a table.

As I observe their back-to-normal activities from the height and distance or our deck, I can't help but feel a bit wistful.  Maybe I've spent too many hours in The Glade, but there's something in me which yearns for a thank you.  Not in the spoken word, mind you, for only Grey aka Racer can do that :), but in the hanging-around-at-a-not-so-safe distance, making eye contact, knowing without a doubt from whom the seeds have come.  I long for the squirrels to acknowledge me, their benefactor, in some small, yet meaningful, way.

And I find myself wondering, is this the way God feels when we fail to acknowledge Him as the One who "provides [us] with plenty of food and fills [our] hearts with joy?"  Like the squirrels, do we scurry away from the Source of Every Blessing mistakenly thinking we can provide for ourselves without God's help?  Are we avoiding eye contact with our Lord in order to follow our own wills and pursue our own wants?

I pray, for the sake of us all, that this is not the case.  

For the Lord, our God, has given us His true and faithful testimony.  He alone provides.  He alone forgives.

He alone saves us from our sins.

And He loves us.

Even when we forget to say, "Thank you."

~

Have you thanked the Lord today?

Prayer:  Father, every good gift comes, most generously, from You.  May we always acknowledge that and give You the honor, the glory and the thanks You so richly deserve.  In Jesus' name, amen.

16 comments:

  1. Martha,
    Squirrels and other wildlife can be so fun to watch. Yes, squirrels can really make a lot of mischief! This morning, I thanked the Lord for a good night of sleep and then a bit later for keeping me safe when I took a short drive to warm up my car (it's quite snowy and icy here). I may have thanked the Lord for other blessings in between too.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Kim, it's good to give thanks in all things, as we both know well. Wish you could send us some of that snow (although you can keep the ice) as we haven't seen any here in GA this year. Really miss it!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. wow what a lesson, Martha. Yep I am often like those squirrels forgetting or never saying thank you. great reminder. Looks like we are both looking out at nature and learning this week. have a great weekend.

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    1. Guilty as charged, too, Jean, but the example the squirrels gave me made me pause and think about my very same culpability. It never ceases to amaze my how God teaches me through the simplest situations.
      You have a great weekend, too!
      Love and blessings!

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  3. This hits the nail on the head - excellent analogy!

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    1. Thank you, Danny! I know you always share my blog on your feed, but I love it when you stop to leave a comment. Makes my day! Love you, honey!

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  4. What a great lesson the squirrels taught us today. And as always the perfect prayer. Stay blessed.

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  5. Lovely lesson Martha and cute pictures <3

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  6. Hmmmm....so my take, Martha.It looks like the squirrels are thanking you in their own way via inspiration and devotion:) They not only inspired this post but so wonderfully remind us (all of us reading) to keep our focus on God and to be thankful for our many blessings. They can't be around you but their experience, through your eyes, is a great reminder for all of us.

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    1. Ah, Vishnu, such wonderful insight as always. Yes, the squirrels have already thanked me through my books (with Grey/Racer) and in entertaining us endlessly with their action. On top of that, as you said, they have inspired this devotion which, I pray, draws others closer to the Lord in their Christian journey. Oh, there is so much for which to be thankful!
      Love and blessings!

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  7. Dear and respected Martha,
    You can really find 'sermons even in stones'!

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    1. Are you saying, dear Portia, that I should have been a minister? :) Thank you for your kind and welcome comment!
      Love and blessings!

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  8. I know what you're talking about, Martha. I have so often wished that I could tell the chipmunks, and squirrels, and deer that I am not a threat. That I will not hurt them. That I am a friend. But, there is always that barrier. I am human, and they are not.

    It reminds me of what God did to come across that barrier. He indeed became ONE of us to show us His love. Might I never forget to be thankful for the humbling He took on in order to save us, and to tell us that He is our eternal Friend.

    GOD BLESS!

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    1. Sharon, I LOVE how you described God becoming one of us to cross what was once the Great Divide! Wonderful analogy and an absolutely perfect compliment to this post. Thank you!
      Love and blessings!

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