I have just been made very aware that I am a whiner.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, and it’s not very nice!!!! 
Seriously though, my mind constantly lands on those areas of lack rather than being thankful for what I have and expectant for the Lord to provide those things that I need. Below there is list of both things God has given me just because He loves me, and things I actually need. I choose to stop whining and believe what His word promises His sons and daughters:
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
Five things God has provided me with out of love:
- A roof over my head in a beautiful place I love.
- A car to take me to and from everywhere He has me to go and everywhere in between; my consistent partner in acts of mischief and mercy for years.
- Family and Friends like family who love me enough to go to bat for me in prayer, with their time, and even their wallets because of their hearts and despite my weaknesses.
- A church where authentic discipleship is the focus of every one on staff and their actions and messages.
- A chance to learn how to love, to live a life more complete than I want for myself, the ability to know Him more through His word and a stage with which to love others the way He has gifted me with the opportunity to.
3 things I desperately need provision for:
- Funds for His mission trip that I get to be a part of: $700 needed in the next 2 weeks and another $9,000 by June 2013.
- Healing for my own body. A health condition that has been a thorn in my side for over 5 years now.
- The patience to go through a process of healing, refinement, and ultimately dying to my own selfish desires and become more like Christ.
I want to be a man who embodies a spirit of thanksgiving. There has never been a moment in my life where a need has not been met. In fact, more often than not it’s the times where I have no clue of where provision is going to come from that God gets to blow the doors right off of my meager expectations yet again.
He has a perfect record running 26 years and counting. So why whine? Think back…how long is His record with you?
So God, thank you for the days where my heart is thankful rather than feeling want. Thank you that I am loved and seen as worthy of your presence and blessing. Thank you the example of Jesus and the challenge to live my declaration of wanting to be more like Him everyday. Give me grace when I fail, and push me further into your will. Amen.
Special thanks to Jarrid Wilson’s 30 Words Devotional for the inspiration for the lists!
