Gratitude

GRATITUDE

Game changer, awesome Father

You have given me 

A beautiful garment of praise 

Today I thank you Lord 

For your faithfulness

You have answered  and given

Exceedingly abundantly more

I cannot begin  to tell how much

I am strengthened within

Because of who you are

Double portion giver

Restorer of locust eaten places

I bow, I worship you 

In gratitude

This day of my birth

Lara Cookey

20 July 2017  

Cumulative explosion- hidden angst

Continuing on from the post about my outburst at the supermarket, the Holy Spirit spoke these words into my heart this morning. I titled it 

CUMULATIVE EXPLOSION

Sometimes when someone snaps at you, it has very little to do with you or what triggered the snapping. It could just be a culmination of accumulated issues from the day, or deep rooted angst that is unresolved. 😇😇😇

 So the question is 'what unresolved angst are you and I harboring, known and unknown?' Can we invite the Holy Spirit to show us? Will we allow 'The Lord of our hearts' room to work these things out?  My thoughts are that this is the road map to getting rid of 'non growth producing ways' God being mine and your helper. Amen 🙏🏾 

The Holy Spirit showed up at the supermarket on Sunday

Straight after church service, hubby and I went to a supermarket to pick up some fruits for dessert after lunch. I was standing in the queue in front of the cashier when a tall man came to stand a few inches away from me with his basket. He was just too close for my comfort and I was irritated, and the narrative in my head was talking about how Nigerians lack discipline and don't respect personal space. Nothing wrong with that but I was surprised at what happened next , because I flipped. 

I yelled at him and asked him to step back and wait his turn. The person behind him echoed this too and I felt justified in my outburst until the Holy Spirit showed up and convicted me. As I was paying for my items I heard so clearly that I must not leave the supermarket with this issue open ended. I must apologize .

So I swallowed humble pie . Then I  turned to the man and said something like  ' I am sorry for shouting at you just now, I just wanted you to know that you were standing too close, and just for you to know that some people don't like this' The man looked at me with such calm and understanding and said ' I appreciate what you have told me'

I walked away profoundly affected because I am not in the habit of snapping like that and yelling at people. But the 'Lord of my heart' became my vision and sent the Holy Spirit to prompt me to apologize. This seems like a small thing but I came away smiling because the Holy Spirit visited the supermarket and thus we know that God is interested in the minute details of our lives.

That we may stumble but He will send the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Be thou my vision

'Be thou my vision o Lord of my heart' are words from one of my favorite hymns. It stirs me deeply because it is a heart felt prayer. It is an answer to what I have been thinking about over the last few days. These words tell me that my heart must be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus and thereby given 'vision' that is Godly because, aligning with God's vision makes me align with 'growth producing ways'

When I looked up this hymn, I discovered it is an 8th century Irish hymn which was first translated into English in 1912 by Eleanor Hull and published in 1919, after which it was set to the tune called 'Slane'

The words convey eternal truths that were true in the 8th century and these words are as true today, in resonance with this our God: the same yesterday, today and forever. 

May the Lord be the ruler of our hearts and thus direct us to see ourselves first as he sees us, so that we will be clear in our purpose and walk in it. 

Amen