Touching God's Heart

I pray that you are well and are finding ways to keep the heat at bay - much more like a Texas summer this week than a Pennsylvania summer, so please keep as cool as you can and pray for or act on behalf of those who are being affected by the heat.


I picked up a message from my phone recently from a friend who didn't want anything; didn't need anything; didn't want me to call him back. He just wanted to say thank you. He wanted to express his thanks for how our lives have touched one another and become intertwined in some large, some seemingly insignificant ways. I was touched by his kindness and thoughtfulness and it warmed my heart to be thanked in such a selfless way. It wasn't necessary, of course, but that call changed the way I felt about my life and my relationship with this friend. I suspect it changed him to call.


After listening to the message two times (okay five times), I began to wonder about the power of saying thanks. I began to consider how saying thanks softens our hearts and thaws the hearts of those around us. I think many of us know that saying thanks to one another can change a relationship. Expressing thanks and showing appreciation is not only good manners, but also recognizes that another person has had an effect on our lives for the good. Saying thanks and having a grateful heart in general allows us all to look on our lives for the blessings that they are and warm the hearts of everyone around us.
 
And, since we are made in the image of God, I suspect that God would like some thanks from us as well. It's not necessary, of course, because God loves us regardless, but I believe that God's heart is warmed by our thanks, just as ours are. God feels our love just as we feel others' love when we give God thanks.

So take a moment today and thank God for whatever blessings and gifts that have come your way today and touch the heart of God. It will soften your heart and warm God's, too.

Grace and Peace,
WFA