She was our stepmother’s grandmother, but she became “Gamaw” to all of us.

We moved her here from Kentucky a few years back when she became to fragile to live alone.

She loved Jesus Christ with every fiber of her being. (my dad came in a close second). 😉

There was something that she would say, guaranteed, if you sat with her long enough.

She’d grab your hand, lean in close and with tears in her eyes and with that thick southern drawl, “I just don’t praise Him enough, He’s so good to me and I just don’t praise Him enough.”  And with kleenex in her hand, as she wiped her tears, she’d begin to recount the goodness of God in her life.

Even though she had to leave her home, her church and friends she dearly loved, and had many seasons of pain and hardship, she praised Him. And she did until the day she died.

The lie from Satan that he spoke to Eve is still the same lie he speaks to us: “God is holding out on you. Look at what He takes from you.” 

As we watch the news and see all the suffering in this world and within our own families, Satan is standing on a grand stage with a megaphone sneering,“WHERE IS YOUR GOD?”

I’m gonna be gut honest, sometimes I ask the same question.

When life feels so unbearable we forget to breathe.  And when we do remember to, we exhale fear and anxiety.

This is when we start to forget the goodness of God.

It’s these times when the weight of the world crushes our shoulders, we need His word to speak the truth over our spiritual amnesia.

Today I came across a scripture which breathed oxygen back into my lagging faith and helped me see the spilling of grace over my life.

Can we do some math?

Take your age, times it by 365 and approximate how many days you’ve been on this earth.

Now count the times you’ve experienced joy.

Add up moments of laughter. Days you went to bed with your belly and heart full.

Gifts you’ve been given, moments someone held you close.

Thoughtful words spoken to you. I love you’s said.

Count all the days you have sung, danced and felt the sun’s warmth on your face.

People that showed up at just the right time when you were in need.

Close your eyes–let your mind and heart linger and sit with these thoughts for a bit.

Okay add them all up.

Oh, did you have the same problem I did?

There are TOO MANY to count.

Some of those things all happened in one day over and over again hundreds of times.

We so easily forget don’t we? All the ways God has lavished His mercy and grace upon us.

Psalm 40:5 

O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

The next time Satan taunts us and asks “Where is your God?” May we stomp on the snake’s head and proclaim where our God has been:

Faithful.

Present.

With us in our best days and our darkest nights. 

If we were to be honest, we’d admit what we long for is a problem-free, painless life. But I’m realizing what we need more than anything is His presence.

I’m learning when unbelief and discontent begin to settle in my heart, that’s when I need to praise Him the most– and remember.

Because I’m with Gamaw, I don’t praise Him nearly enough.

*Do you ever struggle with spiritual amnesia? If so comment below and share with us what helps you most when you are in this place of needing to remember.

*Friends- if you have not read Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts, please do yourself a favor and read this life-changing book. It is about gratitude and remembering to see all the gifts God has given us and I promise it will rock your world! This would be a great book leading up to Thanksgiving and to do gratitude journals with your family.

Linking up today with Coffee for Your Heart with the amazing Holley Gerth. Read her post today and be encouraged about how our words carry great power.

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