something so simple

God loves me. Out of all the creatures and billions of people on this planet, He chooses to love me; have a day-to-day relationship with me. He desires to talk with me, to encourage me, to hear how my day is going, to see me delight in His creation... He loves me. He's not some imaginary idea that some people have about "something in the stars". He's real. He shows us His faithfulness everyday in the rising of the sun and shows us His love and provision daily; we just don't always take note of it. Pity. What's stopping us?

One thing I learned from Liliana this year in Uruguay is to never take anything for granted. During or after a meal, she always says "thank you Lord for that food, it was great" and she means it! I mean, we prayed before the meal, but that's sometimes just routine, but her expression of thankfulness always makes me smile inside.

Why don't we delight in what He's given us? Do we reduce our thankfulness to a routine, like praying before a meal because "that's what you do"? Why not praise Him for the little things in life that He delights in giving us? The butterfly that lands on our book as we read outside, the cloud shaped like an elephant (I'm convinced I once found a perfect star-shaped cloud; apparently it doesn't count because no one else saw it)... they're presents from the Lord because He knows we smile, our heart is enlightened. In this, He shows us His love for us. The huge waves I saw the other day while I was praying at the beach is God reminding how much He loves me. I was praying for my friends and family and I was so burdened for them, then a huge wave crashed (rare for here) and the spray caught me by surprise, so I looked up and saw them: waves like I've never seen at this beach before. I was so worried for everyone and He reminded me that He loves me and them and He is in control.

It's so simple... God loves us. He gives us this beautiful creation and playground to live in. In the movie Extreme Days one guy calls the beach "God's playground" and that stuck with me. He gives us this amazing planet to live on and love... do we praise Him for it? Do we praise Him for showing us His love daily? Do we praise Him for the simple things in life? I've realized that I don't. It's my prayer to fully enjoy His beautiful creation and the blessings I have in my life and give Him the praise for lovingly giving it to me.

Weather update: it's still raining here in Uruguay. Fantastic.