Remind me Lord when I lay down in my comfy bed
Air conditioner on full blast
Cup of ice cold water beside me
To thank you for the day
To thank you for the bed, the air conditioner, the ice in my water, and for my health.
Things that’ll soon be “normal” to me again, that I’ll take for granted again soon enough.
Remind me of the time spent sleeping without a mattress, drenched in sweat, fighting off mosquitos and tarantulas, the comfort of seeing the sun rise in the morning, knowing I survived another night.
Remind me to have a grateful heart, and that every good thing comes from You.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord, when my impatience grows
When there’s a long line for the public bathroom, and I’m really in a hurry
Not to pull out my phone and distract myself
But instead introduce myself to the girl in front of me
A new friendship in the making
One that wouldn’t have formed if I didn’t put aside my comfort and say “hello.” Oh the possibilities.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord, when I’m at home and the wifi goes out
Of the months I spent with no wifi
And all the fun memories that resulted from not having this distraction.
To go outside and bask in your beautiful creation
To grab a board game and play with my family
To sit around the table with them and tell stories
Remind me Lord.
When our ice machine is broken at home
Remind me of the lukewarm water I drank all year, and how that was enough
When the shower in my room runs out of hot water
Remind me of the ice cold bucket showers
And how I survived with only 3 showers a week.
Remind me Lord.
When I’m sitting in traffic
Road rage creeping in
Remind me how much I’ve missed driving
Windows down and hair blowing
And to literally say ‘patience’ out loud like I learned from Vicky.
Remind me of what a blessing it is to have a car, to have a license, to have 2 hands to drive with.
Remind me that even when I’m driving, I should be striving to be a total reflection of Your image.
Remind me Lord.
When I’m at the mall, new paycheck in my pocket screaming to be spent
I glance over at Express and see a new pink dress I think I need
Remind me that I lived 11 months of my life with no more than 6 outfits at a time and 2 pairs of shoes
Usually wearing the same clothes 2-3 days in row.
Nothing’s “dirty” unless the smell is unbearable.
And I was just fine.
I didn’t complain, and I actually enjoyed the simplicity of my choice of outfits this year.
Remind me Lord to be content with what I have.
That I don’t need any more clothes or shoes than what’s waiting for me in my closet right now.
Remind me that money spent on experiences is way more fruitful than money spent on material possessions.
Remind me Lord.
When I’m in a hurry
Going to run into Walmart just for milk
Remind me to slow down, make eye contact with people, offer a listening ear, tell them about You and what You’ve done in my life
Remind me that ministry never ends for the Christian.
Remind me to go towards people and love on them through words and actions.
Bring to mind stories and miracles each person needs to hear.
Remind me to pray for them right then instead of saying “I’ll be praying for you.”
Remind me of the hurting eyes I stared into in Nicaragua, eyes that screamed hopeless, but a prayer and a kind touch helped restore hope. Remind me that’s all it takes to change a life.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me when I go for a jog at the park
Not to focus too hard on the finish line
In hitting that 3 mile mark
To take the time to be thankful for my health and two legs that allow me to walk and jog.
Remind me to take a look around
And give thanks for the sunset and gorgeous lake
Remind me to always notice the love you display for me in the sky.
You painted that sunset just for me.
Remind me to look for you everywhere, and I’ll always find You.
Remind me Lord.
When I order a side of mac & cheese, but the server brings me french fries
Remind me of the people I met this year who were hungry
Wishing more than anything they could be eating either side
Remind me of the people in the Philippines who were desperate for a meal
Who sprinted towards us when they saw us coming in the food truck
Who swallowed steaming-hot oatmeal so they could refill their bowl before we left
Remind me to be grateful for what I receive, and to eat whatever I’m served with a thankful heart.
Remind me of the months I spent eating nothing but white rice, and it was enough.
Food is food.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord when I’m at work
To do the right thing, take risks, and live every day like it’s my last.
Remind me to always be early for work. so that I have time to pray about the day and time to get prepared to do my job well.
Remind me that having a meal together is a great way to get to know someone, and to invite someone to lunch with me instead of eating alone.
When I’m feeling fearful to say something to a co-worker
Remind me how saying hard things to my teammates always resulted in a stronger relationship.
Remind me to put my comforts aside to do the right thing.
Remind me that each co-worker is made in the image of You.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord when my students are rowdy
They just want to know they’re loved and valued.
Remind me to celebrate their accomplishments no matter how small
And to celebrate their uniqueness.
And to never put academics above character building.
Remind me that the ones who are most difficult to love are the ones who need love the most.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord when I feel too busy
To read your Word or journal about the day
How this year I found time every single day to journal and read
No matter how busy the day was
If I actually am “too busy,” give me the discernment to know what I need to cut out of my schedule to make time for You.
Remind me of the fruit I saw from this intentional daily time with You.
Remind me that I can only love and pour into others when I’m so full of You that I’m overflowing.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord when church is different
Worship isn’t as exciting and there’s no dancing or raising hands
To thank you for the experience of seeing worship around the world
And give me boldness to bring this excitement back to my church
Remind me Lord to worship you in Spirit and truth
And not to care how silly I look.
Remind me to be early for church
So that I have time to be intentional with people and hear their stories.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord when I’m frustrated with my friendships
When I feel like relationships are shallow
Remind me that deep relationships aren’t made overnight
It takes hard work and dedication to have a stronger deeper relationship with your friends.
Show me how to do this Lord
Show me how to initiate authentic relationships.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord when people ask me questions
That it’s ok to not know the answer
It’s ok to say “I’ll have to get back to you, I need to think about that.”
Remind me that a lot happened this year.
I have stories to tell
A year’s worth of them
But remind me that it’s ok to not have all the answers immediately or tell all the stories every day.
It’s ok to cry, it’s ok to say “not right now.”
Help me to have grace for myself in these moments.
Remind me that it’s better to take my time and give an honest answer than to spout off the first thing that pops into my head.
Remind me to have grace for people who aren’t understanding of this.
Remind me Lord.
When I overhear angry people in restaurants
Complaining that the service is too slow
Remind me to have grace and patience
And that they simply don’t know how good they have it.
Remind me that those people didn’t travel the world with me. They haven’t seen the world. They didn’t see the things I did…the hunger, the hopelessness, the loneliness, the desperate eyes, the poverty.
Remind me to be understanding of these people.
And if Your Spirit allows, for a door to be opened for me to share a story with them. A story of someone who had nothing but gave everything. Of someone whose circumstances would label them as hopeless, but they found hope in Jesus.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord
When people make “joking” comments about my singleness,
Remind me of how beautiful our relationship is.
How you’re the ultimate Lover.
How no human can love me like You do.
How my singleness is a choice, so that I can grow closer to You.
I know these things as fact now, but when I get home and hear the voices of people who “mean well,” help me not to listen to them Lord. Turn my ears off to the lies.
Speak to my heart much louder than they can pierce my ears with hurtful things. Remind me that this has been the best year of my life, and I’ve been completely single but completely full of You.
Remind me that You’ll bring a man who is crazy-in-love-with-Jesus into my life in Your perfect timing.
Remind me that as long as I’m sitting in Your presence, nothing else matters.
Remind me Lord.
When my family gets on my nerves
When we’re arguing about where to go eat or who should sit in the back seat
Remind me how much I missed them this year.
How many times I thought “man, I wish they could be here to see this.”
Remind me to be thankful for the family You’ve blessed me with.
Remind me what love is…putting another’s needs above my own.
Love is sacrifice.
Remind me Lord.
Remind me Lord
That my best days are still ahead of me.
That there’s no such thing as an ordinary day.
That You’re ready and willing to work and move in our lives.
Remind me Lord that I will never have another June 17, 2016.
Remind me that a “typical” 8:00-4:00 work day is anything but typical.
It’s special
It’s intentional
It’s purposeful
Remind me that nothing matters in this world more to You than people.
Help people to be my main focus as well.
Remind me Lord.
