Overwhelming Peace

The blue cloudless sky touched the indigo ocean. White capped waves gently rolled to meet the shell-laden sand. Pumpkindoodle helped her daddy build a fort to protect them from the fierce dragon named Z-man, a rather content prisoner.



Lulled into serenity by the water's song and the warm salty breeze caressing my skin, I closed my eyes and began to pray. The tender moment was laced with an oxymoron...overwhelming peace. My talk with God included two words repeated innumerable times..."Thank you."



And then I listened.

My Thanksgiving Prayer

Precious Heavenly Father:

Without you I am nothing. Without you my possessions hold no value. Without you my dreams void meaning and my identity is tarnished and warped. Without you I know not how to recognize beauty, embrace hope, bestow mercy, or accept love. Without you, morning is as dark as night and my tongue tastes only bitterness. Without you I am no one…without you I am nothing.

Father, please forgive me for the times I have forgotten the joy found in You…the joy that is You. I come before You, Most Glorious King Eternal, and humbly bow my heart in thanksgiving and praise.

Thank you for never giving up on me, and for loving me despite my insubordination…my selfishness…my failings.

Thank you for understanding me when I babble, and for searching my heart to help me better know my place in You.

Thank you for this shelter I have on earth and for the mansion in which I will reside in heaven.

Thank you for allowing me to both receive and give love to other humans.

Thank you for once making me a bride, and for creating two babies for me to mother.

Thank you for holding me during the times I, with my face planted to the floor, sobbed without a hint of inhibition.

Thank you for the promise to refine me so that my reflection will bear the image of Christ Jesus.

Thank you for denying some of my requests…even those made in genuine earnest; and for providing all of which I need.

Thank you for the grace I so unfairly obtained through the sacrifice of your flawless Son.

Oh Gracious Father, thank you…thank you…thank you… for calling me your own. Amen.

Psalm 118:28-29 (New Living Translation)

You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.