Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Psalm 103:1

There comes a time when we find ourselves seeing life in an entirely different way. Along with the pain, we sense with increased clarity that life is fundamentally a good gift from God. This is the experience of gratitude. Gratitude is a kind of participation in and response to God's grace. Without it, life would be a cheerless, and probably impossible journey.

The experience of gratitude is a response of our inmost being to God's grace. When gratitude breaks through, we are able to stop our frantic efforts to earn our way through life. In these moments of calm we see that our inmost being belongs to God. We are God's creation. Sometimes that is all we need. Other times this thought that we are God's creation is so far beyond all we could ever have asked, hoped or dreamed for, that our heart fills with praise and joy.

It is difficult to explain how, or why, or when gratitude comes. Sometimes we try to force gratitude on ourselves. Sometimes other people try to force it on us. But it cannot be coerced. It will not come from pretending. It will not come from telling ourselves that some people are worse off than we are. But it does come. And, when it comes, it breaks through our pain and surprises us with joy.

We cannot insist on gratitude today. But we can remind ourselves that we are God's creation. And we can wait for a new awareness of God's grace to surprise us with joy.

Give me a capacity for gratitude today, Lord.
Break through the clouds of pain in my life.
Surprise me with joy.
Fill my soul, my inmost being, with gratitude for life
and with praise to you.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

On an episode of Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition, one of the participants made an interesting comment.  His home had been almost completely redesigned.  When he walked into his new house, he said, "I am here and can't believe that this is really for me, then I realize, it really is for me."   His words rang in my ears as something I could see myself saying when I reach heaven.  I imagine when I arrive at heaven I won't be able to believe it is my permanent home.  However,  C.S. Lewis states in his book The Problem of Pain, "Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it -- made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.” 

Let me tell you about a dream I once had.  In my dream, I was walking and came upon a big wooden gate.   Just as I stopped to admire the gate, a man opened it from the inside and said, "Hi , Dale.  Come in, let me show you around."  He took me into this beautiful city and then up to two large doors.  He opened the doors into his home that had a huge living room with large picture windows that overlooked a very calm sea of glass.  His furniture was very regal looking and quite lavish and opulent.  I have no words to describe what I saw.  He said, "you don't remember me do you?"  I said, "you do look familiar but no I'm not sure."  He responded, "I'm Jimmy from ...."  All of a sudden I recognized him and then I woke up.

When I woke up, I was unsure what this dream was about.  I believe for the most part, that dreams are just random thoughts/experiences thrown together and your brain tries to make sense of it so it ties everything together in a dream.  

However, I do believe that some dreams can be from God because He wants you to know something.   I think this dream was from God and I am grateful.  I am grateful that God gave me a chance to see heaven.  It was wonderful and I was not there very long but I do want to go back.  

But the best thing was meeting Jimmy.  Jimmy was a young man from my professional history that I attempted to help.  Jimmy had developmental disabilities and was a very confused, scared and angry person at times.  He would assault people when he got scared and then would take off running.  I remember one time chasing him and he was so fast, that he got away from me.  (BTW - I don't know what I would have done if I caught him.  Jimmy was definitely bigger and stronger and faster than me.)  

What was the best thing was that Jimmy was no longer in a body with limitations.  He was in heaven!  His body, mind and soul were in perfect condition.  And... he had been looking for me.  It makes me wonder what kind of relationship Jimmy and I will have in heaven.  

I think I'm gonna challenge him to a foot race....

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

There comes a time in the process of recovery when we find ourselves seeing life in an entirely different way. Along with the pain, we sense with increased clarity that life is fundamentally a good gift from God. This is the experience of gratitude. Gratitude is a kind of participation in and response to God's grace. Without it, recovery would be a cheerless, and probably impossible journey.

The experience of gratitude is a response of our inmost being to God's grace. When gratitude breaks through, we are able to stop our frantic efforts to earn our way through life. In these moments of calm we see that our inmost being belongs to God. We are God's creation. Sometimes that is all we need. Other times this thought that we are God's creation is so far beyond all we could ever have asked, hoped or dreamed for, that our heart fills with praise and joy.

It is difficult to explain how, or why, or when gratitude comes. Sometimes we try to force gratitude on ourselves. Sometimes other people try to force it on us. But it cannot be coerced. It will not come from pretending. It will not come from telling ourselves that some people are worse off than we are. But it does come. And, when it comes, it breaks through our pain and surprises us with joy.

We cannot insist on gratitude today. But we can remind ourselves that we are God's creation. And we can wait for a new awareness of God's grace to surprise us with joy.

Give me a capacity for gratitude today, Lord.
Break through the clouds of pain in my life.
Surprise me with joy.
Fill my soul, my inmost being, with gratitude for life
and with praise to you.
Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery