OK, so true confessions time. I started talking to my house plants. I have had a terrible track record with them and I so consistently kill them, slowly over time, that I actually had a line item in our monthly budget for replacing dead and dying house plants. They were basically a disposable purchase on a bi-annual basis.

So, a couple of years ago I decided to take matters in my own hands and investigate a new approach. The cheapest, easiest change I could make was to try talking to these poor, terminal members of the plant kingdom. Every day after my husband left for work (because I didn’t want him to think I was crazy) I would walk around the house and try to say something meaningful to each plant…Hey, how ya doin? …Looking good, dude!…Keep up the good work…Please don’t die on me! Well, I had to get some new material. It just wasn’t working. So I actually gave each plant a name, mostly based on appearance or condition. (Occasionally, based on a person. ) Now, I could talk to them specifically. And, no kidding, all but one of them did phenomenally well (by my previous standards). I went from 4-5 straggly, sad, frequently replaced plants to 15 beautiful, healthy plants in 3 to 4 months. It was a miracle! I have never had a green thumb. I prayed over them, thanked them for adding beauty and oxygen to our home and encouraged them to grow to the best of their ability. I know it all sounds crazy, but I am telling you it worked.

Anyway, I was just looking out my  window, noticing all the green in nature, from the trees in the woods, to my husband’s gardens, my patio tomatoes, our herb garden, and all my houseplants – and the beauty of God’s creation just struck my heart in such a way! It’s like, wow, there is so much natural beauty to enjoy and it is so easy to overlook and just get used to. We take for granted so many of God’s gifts. And the dazzling array of plant life  is definitely one of them.  So as I was praying and thanking God for it all, a sort of raw poem or tumble of words came to me, and then a childhood memory. Here they are…

 All the greenery in nature is so life-affirming…
The plants, the leaves, the grass, the trees. The herbs and weeds. 
The delicate, the variegated, the fuzzy, the smooth… With ridges on edges, the waxy, the new; delicate, soft, tender young shoots. 
The nibbled, the damaged, the dusty, dry roots
the rain soaked and streaked, the growing, the striving, 
the withering, the dying. 

Enormous leaves and tiny, the pokey, the piney.
Velvet and sharp, the pale and the dark.
The plump succulents, the wispy plants living seemingly on air,
The beauty unending, the variety mind-boggling. 

The life of a tree, or a plant on dry ground, or in the sea.  
Greenery, shade, oxygen, flowers, fruit, or medicine, 
Bee’s bounty or beauty,
Just for our delight.

Getting personal now. When I was a teenager and knew absolutely everything, I really wanted nothing to do with faith or God or church or any of it. An eye roll was my go-to response, or else ‘Yeah, well, what about science?’ It all seemed so unbelievably silly to me. 

I remember quite clearly one day when my Dad, a gentle man, pretty quiet about his faith, said to me during one of these discussions, “How can you not believe in God?” He said it pleadingly, searching for the right words, “I mean, look at a tree…” his voice trailed off, as he could not really express what he was trying to convey to me. I rolled my eyes hard and looked at him as only a self righteous teenager can,  like it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. I truly couldn’t believe someone could believe in God just because of a dumb tree.

Well, many years later, I know now what he meant. What he was trying to say, but couldn’t express. I feel exactly the same way. Everything in nature points to God. This brings to mind the lyrics of a well-known Catholic hymn… The heavens are telling the glory of God and all creation is shouting for joy.. (check out the video hereThe Canticle of the Sun)  

And I do have to say, I am pretty ashamed of myself when I think of the way I treated my Dad. I know I was just a teenager, but  I can’t wait til I see him again someday and tell him how sorry I am, and how much  I understand now what he was saying. And how so very much I agree with him.

God is in every good and beautiful thing, man-made and nature  borne.

Lord; In the heavens and on the Earth,  the beauty of your creation astounds. Thank you for showing me all the goodness and beauty of nature that I never bothered to notice.

Some wonderful verses on nature, if you’d like to check them out:

     Psalm 19:1-4                        Isaiah 35:1-2
Psalm 24:1-2                        Isaiah 42:5
Psalm 96:11-12                  Isaiah 55:12
Psalm 104:14-21

C.S. Lewis famously said that ‘God whispers to us  in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.’

 When life is good and things are humming along beautifully God is there gently whispering look at all I’ve given to you, everything going right in your life… Look at the beauty of creation. I made it for you! Enjoy it!  Just acknowledge and recognize that I gave you all of this. 

And honestly, when things are going well, many of us don’t. Then the road gets a little bumpy. We have some typical challenges, disappointments, burdens…life happens. And God is there, raising his voice a bit and says Just turn to me I’m right here, I want to guide you and help you!  You don’t have to do this on your own. Just listen. And often we still don’t  pay attention. If we haven’t yet learned to lean on God, we just buckle down, determined to fix the problem on our own, thinking; I can handle this myself. 

Then we may find ourselves in circumstances that are beyond the pale. Outside of our control, almost unbearable. Unimaginable difficulty, whether physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual. Feeling like there’s no way out, not understanding why things are happening the way they are. And this is when God raises his voice, pounding on the door of our heart and shouts  I’m here! I’m still here! Just trust me, and thank me for all that is going right in your life.  Ask me for help! Surrender to me and my will for your life. I want  to guide you! 

And some eventually do listen, while others turn away from God, blaming Him for their problems. Why would you do this to me, God, if you’re so good? Why won’t you fix this? We neglect completely at this point to thank him for everything else that’s right with our lives. For all the beautiful moments. All the weeks, months and years of our lives that have been so great… No, we often just focus on the one thing that’s going wrong right now. 

And, honestly, it’s pretty easy to fall into complacency and expectation when everything is going swimmingly. Harder to remember to be grateful when all is well.

I imagine…what if God is saying….I’ve been whispering and talking to you all your life! Giving you gift, after beauty, after pleasure, after fortune, after blessing, after treasure…..and you haven’t once stopped to mention it. NOW you want to talk? Sheesh! Maybe we are taking God’s gifts for granted.

We tend to save our thanks to God for those catastrophic near misses; avoiding a car accident, a negative test result from the doctor, squeaking by with that C- to pass the class, narrowly escaping the company layoffs… but we can be thankful on a daily basis. 

Count Your Blessings

You’re having a good day? Thank Him.  You have great friends, took an awesome trip, ate a delicious meal, had an incredible bonding moment with a family member…Thank Him.  Your kids are healthy, your marriage is great, school is going well, you love your job? Thank Him!
Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

God is working in your life everyday behind the scenes whether you know it or not. Whether you like it or not. Whether you believe it or not.

He is with us on the mountaintop and in the valley. Remembering what he has done in the good times -even if right now you’re in a valley- is what will help you get through it. Trusting and surrendering  will help you hear God’s voice when you are struggling.  
Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

How often do we all forget to thank The Giver of the gifts? We would never dream of forgetting to thank someone for giving us a gift for our birthday or Christmas. But every day that we wake up is a gift. Breath in our lungs is a gift. The beauty of creation is a gift. Every single part of our body that  still works is a gift. Every person in our life that we love is a gift. (Every person that challenges us is a gift too, but I think that is Advanced Christianity that I haven’t necessarily reached yet.)

Have you stopped to thank Him lately? 

It is important to note that God does not bring pain into our lives so that we will turn to Him. But we do live in a fallen, imperfect world, and trouble and difficulty will come to us all at some point. And God is always there to help you, comfort you and guide you through the tough times.In this world you will have trouble, Jesus intoned in John’s gospel, But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Hearing God’s Voice

Some ways to be attentive to God’s voice and presence in our lives:

• Keep a gratitude journal. This is a great way to recognize and acknowledge God’s presence in our everyday life. Every day write down three things you are grateful for, without repeating what you’ve already written. It is an eye-opening practice that makes you  doubly grateful when you go back and read what you had written weeks or months before. It also doubles as morning prayers, so…there’s that. (Just trying to keep it real for those of us who sometimes have trouble finding time to pray.)
• Mindfulness. Hear me out. Although this is often seen as a secular practice, we can keep God in mind by prayerfully appreciating the small joyful events of the day moment by moment. Driving down a beautiful stretch of road? Really notice the beauty and be thankful. Enjoying a fancy coffee drink or eating a favorite meal? Slow down, savor the flavor and enjoy this little gift. Fixing the car, cleaning the house, raking the leaves? Focus on your work and recognize that it is a gift to have these things to care for, and the right tools to do the work, and the physical ability to do it. Some people with physical or financial challenges would be grateful to be in your shoes.
• Daily Examen. This is a Christian practice from St. Ignatius that involves taking a few minutes in the evening to reflect on your day. What went well, what didn’t? Where was God in the interactions you had and the decisions you made? What can you be thankful for and what might you work on for tomorrow? Here is more info on this practice https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/ 
• Listen to your conscience. When a thought just won’t leave you alone, or you have that ‘gut feeling’ don’t ignore it! This is often the still, small voice of God urging you along the right path.
• And finally, pray. Ask God daily to help you hear his voice, whether he is whispering, speaking or shouting. There are many versions of what is called ‘Listening Prayer’. Mary Geegh wrote a wonderful booklet on the topic called God Guides. Yes, God even answers prayers about prayer!

Author’s note: If you have waited until God got to the shouting stage like I did, take heart. It’s never too late. It’s because God loves us that He shouts above the din of your pain, your grief, your unending sorrow, disappointment, depression and crippling devastation. He is calling you to himself when things are at their most desperate. Don’t give up on God! He has not and will not give up on you. He is the light at the end of your tunnel. 

…I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Just reading in the Gospel of Luke  where an expert of the law asks Jesus – What must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus’ response is… Well what do you think, what’s written in the law? The man answered: 

 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” Luke 10:27-28

This seems like an odd response, because if the guy doesn’t do it, is Jesus saying he will die? Well, no. Not in the way we think about living and dying. Jesus is referring to eternal life. But the way he says it… It’s almost like Jesus talks about life as though it begins in heaven. And I think if we understood eternity even a little bit we would get this. 

Life After Life

That this life on Earth, this 90 or a hundred years, is really  preparation for the “real” life after this one. It’s almost like this life is  some sort of a gestation period. And as we grow and develop spiritually, God is preparing us for this next phase. And if we believe in and follow Jesus, we are birthed from the womb of this earth into eternal life.

Jesus spoke a number of times about  “life.” And he always seems to be referencing the next life. The eternal life. It seems nearly everything  Jesus said and did was referencing the spiritual portion of our being and the eternal life that we are destined for. Jesus understands this life on earth  because he experienced it for 33 years.  And he understands that it’s the only life that we know. 

We get inklings of heaven and the afterlife through Scripture, prayer, and communing with God, and some even have near death experiences that give them a glimpse into eternity. But, let’s be honest, we can talk about and speculate and believe that we know what heaven will be like, but we can’t be sure until we get there. 

It’s a little like asking a young child what mommy or daddy do at work. They have some vague idea, but really no concept of what it’s like. I saw a  post online where someone asked kids what their parents did. One 4 year old girl’s mom was a teacher and when asked what her mommy does at work, she replied “She tells people what to do.” One kid’s dad was an accountant and he answered “He writes down all the numbers.” It’s cute and it’s funny and they’re not wrong exactly, but of course they only have a very rudimentary idea of what their parents do at work. Because  in their limited experience of life,  that’s what work is, and that is all they can understand. 

Maybe Jesus looks at us in this life in that same way. We think that this is  “life” and it is, in a manner of speaking. It’s a version of life. But it’s such a simplistic, even inferior, version of the true life that God has waiting for us. But we are like children, and not equipped to understand the supernatural, no matter how smart we think we are.

What Really Matters?

And when we get there? I get the sense that when we arrive there none of the trials in this life will matter anymore. The struggles and challenges, the difficulties, pain, sadness, failures, the grief… It will all have been important in its time….. But I believe, in eternity all that will matter is  what we did for others, and whether we loved and obeyed God. (Which, really, is the same thing.)

It makes all the difficulties I have to go through here on Earth seem somehow insignificant. But at the same time, everything I do and every way that I respond is so significant. If this life is a preparation for the next, then surely in its relatively brief state  everything  we do matters. Maybe not so much  specifically what we do on a daily basis, or what career we chose or what our family status is,  but the spirit  in which we do all these things. And the motivation and reason for them. Are we doing our best and glorifying God by serving others? Or just going through the motions? 

I guess what I’m saying is, in the context of preparing for eternal life,  maybe the details of our lives don’t matter nearly as much as we think.  Get married, don’t get married…..have kids or don’t… become a doctor, teacher, plumber, lawyer, landscaper, stay at home mom,  cashier…It doesn’t much matter.  What really matters is the big picture. What was your approach? What was your intent and your motivation? Was it …Be the best at  all cost – crush the competition – make the most -spend the most- buy the biggest- make sure you come out on top…. 

Or did you put others first and find a way to glorify God in everything you did?

So what does this all mean, what am I to do day-to-day? I think God wants us to keep it simple and have a zeal for the important things in life. The really important things, like loving our neighbor and showing our love for Him by loving others in any way possible. ….Giving, helping,  listening, loving, noticing, complimenting… and offering forgiveness, deference, justice, trust, support…

This is loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself.

 What can you do today that will honor God and have a positive impact on someone’s life?

A phrase has been following me around for the last few weeks. Not sure where I heard it, but I recently found out that it’s from Psalm 22:3 …God inhabits the praises of His people.  

Anyway, I was reading a recent passage in my daily devotional, Jesus Always, by Sarah Young:Tell me your troubles and seek my guidance; then change the subject. Praise me for my greatness and glory, my power and majesty! Thank me for the good things I have done and am doing in your life. You will find me richly present in your praise and thanksgiving. 

First, I love that this devotional says we are to tell Jesus our troubles, ask for his help, then…change the subject! So; let it all out, then give it over to God and stop dwelling on it. Great advice! 

And then we are instructed to thank God…You will find me richly present in your praise and thanksgiving. And the words came back to me God inhabits the praises of his people. How beautiful is that? But what does it really mean? I mean think about it; We’re often so busy complaining about all of our troubles. In prayer, we are so preoccupied with asking and hoping, pleading and crying… Do you think maybe God gets tired of that every once in awhile? I know, I know… that is a human view of God, and  of course, he’s always there for us, and I know he wants to hear the sorrows of our heart, and he comforts us every single time…

 But what Joy must it bring him, when we choose to praise instead? In the depths of our pain and our difficulties… when we manage to put it all aside and praise him instead! How much joy, how much delight and encouragement must he feel towards us?

It’s like that magical moment when your sullen, usually complaining teenager surprises you with an appreciative “Thanks Mom!” that just about knocks you over with shock. Or when we see that our kids can look past something negative or difficult  to recognize and be happy or grateful for something else. There’s just this sense of relief in your own heart, a sense of happiness that they are happy, and resilient, and able to focus on the positive  – you just feel a real sense of rest about it. I think God’s no different.

It’s All About Gratitude

God inhabits the praises of his people. He’s always with us, for sure…but when we are praising God he dwells, he takes up residence in our praise of him. It can truly feel like he’s even closer.

 I picture God hearing our prayers every day and sometimes we just recite them; God please help me with… God please heal him…please strengthen her…please change this and fix that… And it’s just this litany of requests.

God’s always there, for sure, and he’s  listening to all of our needs, and he loves us… but when we are filled with gratitude, and we start to praise him instead, I just picture this image of God pulling up a chair, you know? It’s like he sits down and gets comfortable as we begin to thank him, and he nods and says uh huh, yeah I did that… You’re so welcome! I’m glad you noticed! It’s because I love you so much. Oh, that? Yep that was me too! Glad you liked that. It was my pleasure!

And I believe the praise that we have for him strengthens us. Praise strengthens our bond with God and with that strengthened God-bond we  become stronger! We are strengthened by our own praise of God! How is that possible!? I believe it is because gratitude, praise and thanksgiving build our confidence in God’s love and presence in our lives.

God inhabits our praises. That’s where we most readily find him. If you are searching and  wondering why your walk with God has grown cold or stale… Try praise! Meditate on who he is and what he’s done and you will automatically find yourself feeling grateful. It is hard to think of God and everything he is  and everything he does, and not feel a compulsion, a drawing towards praise.

We Can Relate

We can often draw parallels between God’s  relationship to us and our relationship to our kids. What does it feel like when you get home and the kids are clamoring and saying  daddy, mommy… help me with…can you…did you… can I …I need… will you…why can’t I…

Compared to when you walk into a room and your kids (or anyone, really) says to you. Hey, thanks so much for… I was so happy when you…you did such a great job with….that was really a great idea you had… I’m so glad you thought to….I so appreciated when you…It was so nice of you to…I was so relieved that you…

Big difference, right? And, no, of course it’s not the same thing. God is here for us no matter what, in every situation. And he’s bigger than any problem we will ever have, and he absolutely welcomes us to come to him in our need and desperation. 
And in our wanting, our needing and our asking…He is always listening.

How To Get Started

But, let’s be honest, if we truly desire to be in relationship with God, we surely must believe there has to be some balance in our communication with Him. It can’t all be so one-sided, and so one-note.

So, what’s a praying Christian to do?

Here are a few suggestions:

–  Before you get out of bed in the morning, thank God sincerely for one or two good things in your life.  It’s a great way to start your day.

–  Whenever you begin to pray, try to make it a habit to thank God first, before making a request. If  you can’t think of anything specific, thank him that he is always there and listening when you pray. Recognizing and thanking God for being there, and realizing his presence is really all we need is huge.

– Know that ‘every good and perfect gift comes from above’ James 1:17 so when something good happens  -anything at all- try to remember to thank God for it.

– Wherever you are on your spiritual path, thank him for the journey. It doesn’t matter how far you have to go, just recognize that you are going forward, and he is helping you to do so. Gratitude comes naturally when you think this way.

There can and should be praise and thanksgiving sprinkled in amongst all of our prayer requests. And the beauty is, when we do pause our requests to praise and thank him…? We can find our burdens unexpectedly lifted, and our weakness and weariness give way to His strength. And we are often rewarded with that  ever-desired peace that passes understanding.

It’s a pretty awesome exchange.

How many of you out there find yourself up at three or four in the morning with your mind reeling…?
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been up in the wee hours of the night with racing thoughts, unable to turn off your brain, unable to rest comfortably and get back to sleep.

Oh I’m with you out there brothers and sisters of the sleepless nights, the minds that just won’t shut off…..
I’ve stumbled on something that might help.

There is a scripture in the Bible that many Christians know in the book of Philippians (4:6-7) that tells us not to be anxious, but instead to pray to God and ask him for whatever we want and we will find peace. And it’s a wonderful scripture, but it is an asking prayer. Nothing wrong with that, but Paul follows up those beautiful words of comforting spiritual wisdom with the following prayer of gratitude, which I think can be enormously satisfying and effective. Especially in the wee hours of the morning when worry and fear try to take hold.

Practicing Gratitude

So recently I’ve taken this verse and used it as a prayer in the middle of my sleepless nights. You don’t even have to be a Christian to see how helpful it is, it’s a pretty universal idea.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Paul, Philippians 4:8

 Paul is directing us to change our thought life. Every bad mood, anxiety,  fear, or disappointment, as well as every positive, pleasant, courageous and hopeful attitude all begin  in your mind, and you get to choose which thoughts to focus on. As Joyce Meyer likes to say ‘you can’t always help it if a negative thought falls into your head. But you do get to choose whether it stays there or not.’ So we can ruminate and dwell on, and worry and fret about something horrible, or we can proclaim what God says and choose to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

I like to personalize this scripture when I pray because I think the Bible was written to speak to each one of us. I believe that there are 7 billion ways to interpret the Bible. God loves each one of us so much that his Word speaks to us individually. What follows is one of the prayers I prayed recently at night that has gotten me back to sleep. Maybe you can use this scripture and personalize it to your own life.

A Deconstructed Anti-Anxiety Prayer for the Middle of the Night

Whatever is true, whatever is noble…
Thank you, Lord, that a huge truth in my life right now is that Jesus is with me always; guiding, protecting, comforting, forgiving, strengthening.  

What is noble  is that Jesus went to the cross for me. For me! He died for me. The gravity of that is enough to meditate on for the rest of my life.

Whatever is right, whatever is pure… 
What is right is our freedom, as human beings. Something we are blessed to have in this country and something we take so  for granted. I’m so very grateful for our freedom, as well as those who have volunteered to protect it.

What in my own life is pure? My beautiful, healthy, happy, perfect, adorable grandson. I can barely think about him or look at him without getting tears in my eyes, I am so filled with gratitude. Thank you Lord for blessing our family with this tiny little miracle. 

Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…
What is lovely? It is lovely to see my children each find such a  perfect partner to spend their lives with. It fills me with so much joy to see both of my kids so happy and in love. And it’s all by the grace of God, and I thank him for it.

What in my life is admirable? Having someone to stand by my side through the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Someone who is unwavering in his faith. Someone who is my rock; supportive, strong and forgiving and always there when I need him….. My husband’s steadfast love and faithfulness is so admirable especially at this difficult time in my life.

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy…

What is excellent? Every divinely created thing in nature, and every thing of beauty created by those divinely created beings and entities. The beauty and the harmony and flow of every sentient being and inanimate object, every living and non-living thing God created, is excellent. As are those who are devoted to protecting and caring for it all. 

What is praiseworthy? In the secular world, we throw praise around pretty freely. We praise our kids when they are good, we give ‘high praise’ to accomplished artists and actors, writers and musicians, and just about anyone who does something outstanding. And that’s fine, in a worldly context. But truthfully, big picture?  There is only One who is worthy of our praise. The triune Godhead; Father, Son and Spirit. Namely – and most accessibly – Jesus Christ; Lord, Savior, and Son of God. I am reminded of this as I pray this prayer of gratitude, and I save my true praise for Him alone.

Instead of asking God for yet another thing, another favor, more help, guidance, and grace, try coming up with your own personalized prayer of gratitude. I guarantee shifting your focus from what is difficult in your life to what is good, no matter how small, will have a positive, calming effect. This is true whether you are a Christian or not.

The next time your mind’s wheels are spinning in the middle of the night, practice gratitude! Try using this scripture as a guide. Thanking God for what he’s already given you can calm your mind like asking for more never will.