“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

{JOB 1:21}

… because no matter WHO or WHAT your higher power is (mine is Jesus’s Dad, the Father of The Trinity, God), it never hurts to be in a perpetual state of GRATITUDE for all things big and small, including the really bad stuff. With that in mind, and as some of you may know, today is the “National Day Of Prayer“. So, have you ever heard the story of Job?

Job was a good and righteous man with crazy blind faith in God. Despite the immense, if not unfathomable levels of suffering he’d experienced over the course of his early life, however, not the least of which was losing his children, possessions, and health, he was able to maintain his gratitude for God in the midst of his agony.

Job praised God with his heart, lips, and mere existence, and used his often excruciating pain as a way to strengthen his bond with Him. He unwaveringly believed that God was greater than every one of his struggles, regardless of how painful, and therefore still worthy of praise and glory! Then? GUESS WHAT? God blessed Job with so much more than he had in the first place, up to and including an extra long life and ten more sons and daughters!

In so many ways, I have likened my life to Job’s. I mean, have you MET me? Do you know my story? I, too, have lost a child who died in my own arms, and watched the two loves of my life dying right in front of me. I, too, once lost my possessions. I, too, almost lost my health due to self-inflicted wounds and mental illness. Meanwhile, I know for a FACT that I’m BLESSED, am literally one of the most joy-filled women I know, and definitely God’s favorite daughter.

Seneca once said,

No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.

… but I would like to add to that age old wisdom and tweak it:

No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to hold fast to his gratitude and faith.

“Power & Grace“, people!

POWER & GRACE!

In all things, I know He still reigns and I will NEVER stop praying like a child in gratitude for my blessed and abundant life. Just sayin’!