UNPAUSE

 I keep track of my daily walking with my Apple Watch.  My daily walks are divided into segments dictated by Hero's needs (3-4 walks a day- very short he's old and having back issues) , walking with my neighbor, and finishing my mileage (we all know the number needs to end with segments of a quarter of a mile).  After each segment I pause the counter until the the next segment begins.  At the end of the day I have the complete day's mileage when in walking mode.  I also have the total number of steps on my Apple Watch.  Finding myself hitting the pause and unpause button throughout the day breaks up my day into periods of varying activities.  Where am I going with all of this?  Obviously I have hit the blog pause button and for many reasons not unpaused and started again.  I could list the litany of reasons, but surely we all understand how life can be interrupted for many varied reasons.  I will not bore you with the details.  

Lately I have had something on my mind a great deal, and it occurred to me this morning, perhaps I should share with you.  My prayer life runs the cycle from intense--highly personal to short and practiced.  One of the methods of shaping my communication with God is those acronyms meant to frame our prayer time.  A C T S was the first acronym I studied and seems to be the one I use most frequently.  At times I become entrenched in the "S" of this formula.  So many--so many needs--so much sorrow--so many hurt and in pain-- my world seems filled with those in need of prayer---all for good reason and purpose and my privilege to take before the throne.  

A few weeks ago it began to occur to me the every growing passion to finish well and the dwindling time to make this happen are also accompanied by a long life filled with pauses and unpauses.  The fact of the matter is the sands of my time here are dwindling at a remarkable speed.  It has become an intense time of reflection on my life and a honest evaluation of what has been.  What has been my take-away?

With this reflection, my prayer acronym has now changed with an intense concentration of the acronym T.  My prayers now begin with thanking God for a long and good life.  I have gone well beyond those appointed years in The Word and I am living on the extension God has granted.  All of us have experienced ups and downs in life, but I am concentrating on remembering all the wonderful blessings God has bestowed on me knowing they all came from His abundant grace.  He is faithfully provided my needs---not always my wants---but always my needs.  I am looking at the whole---not at those prayers He answered with "No" or even seemed to ignore.  Counting on the fact that ALL was for my good ---I know He always knows my needs far better than I.  So my prayers these days are filled with gratitude for the good and bad.  Often I tell you that my greatest suffering has produced my greatest growth spiritually.  He loves me so much He allows me to suffer so that I might know Him more intimately.  His abiding presence is highlighted over each and every decade of my long life and I am so thankful He loves me so much that He is always present and His tender care is evident throughout the years.

So for today, the blog was unpaused, to share this with you.  We do not know what tomorrow holds, and pause may once again begin, but this was too important to not share.  When reflecting---I ask you to weigh not only the good---but remember the benefits of the bad.  Remember Whose presence and strength carried you through the bad.  Remember who God is---and that He is good---in all things.  AND BE THANKFUL!

"Giving thanks always

and for everything

to God the Father

in the name of 

our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 5:20