Thanks

I stare at fairy-tale-worthy-cliffs just after hearing a harp player sing and strum. I ache as I experience the throes of PMS. I wash the bathroom floor. I cry for a friend who has experienced a deep loss. These are all things that I have experienced in this life. Mundane things, unbelievable things, annoying things, hard things: these events make up our days on this earth.

In the midst of all of this, it is important that we thank the Lord.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it says: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Being thankful is hard in a lot of situations. It is hard, of course, in the trying times. But it can also be hard when things are going well. We often don’t stop to thank the Lord when we experience something beautiful.

On a recent vacation, I saw the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. It was a last minute decision to go visit them. A funny Irishman told us we could not leave until we saw them. So we got in the car and did just that.

After going up several stairs, I heard the strumming of a harp and this woman singing. She was sitting to the side of the stairs with the majestic instrument nestled between her legs. Just above her you could see the cliffs: Bright green grass shines upon multi-colored rock. Water laps at the bottom, in and out. God, in his infinite wisdom, formed the greenery and stone and the water below, so that every part had its own shade and depth.

Incredible.

While I think I was thankful when I saw all of this, I don’t think I was praising HIM, the one who made it all.
Now, as I look at the pictures, all I can think is: Thank God. Thank God.