I'm Telling God Thank You

Praising God for a beautiful sunset

Rachel and I took a ride today through some stunningly beautiful scenery. No matter how hard you try, photos can never do justice to the beauty of God's handiwork. 

We live in Bali, Indonesia. Virtually any direction you go outside of the big city, you can see vistas that take your breath away.

Travel twenty minutes one direction from our home, and you are in the foothills of Mt. Agung, Bali’s largest mountain. Twenty minutes in another direction, and you can listen to waves crashing on the shore and soak up sea breezes. In between, you pass through terraced rice fields that hold a beauty all their own.

The rice fields were what caught our attention today. We needed to do some grocery shopping. The nearest store was about fifteen miles away, and I decided to take the scenic route.

As we passed a particularly gorgeous area, I commented, “Look Rachel! Isn’t God’s creation beautiful?”

She drew in her breath as she looked around. “Yes, Mommy! It is soooo beautiful! I wish I lived here in this place. Then I could see it when I go to school and when I come home, and when I go to my friend’s house. All the time!”

I just love her sensitivity to God as He reveals Himself in creation. I remember a few years ago, I saw Rachel standing on the front porch of our home. From there, she could see palm trees, hundreds of birds soaring through the sky, with Mt. Agung towering above it all.  She stood there singing. Not loudly, but earnestly, creating her own song.

I asked her what she was doing. She said, “I’m telling God thank You for His beautiful world.” What more can you say?

Finding Thankful Moments

It is amazing how easy it is to get so busy with life that we totally miss those blessings from God that He has scattered throughout our world. His messages to us are there, all around us, but we fail to see them.

It is not hard to find the beauty in God’s creation when you live in a place like Bali, as long as you take the time to open your eyes. Thankfully, you don’t have to live on a tropical island to see God’s loving hand at work.

• ·         Do you live in the country? Close your eyes and listen for the sounds of the birds and the crickets.
• ·         Is it winter, just after an ice storm? Before scraping the ice off your windshield, take in the artistry of the sun glinting through the ice-encrusted twigs.
• ·         Are you a busy mom racing to get the groceries inside and dinner fixed before your hungry kids have a meltdown? Stop just a moment, take a deep breath, and enjoy the breeze blowing through your hair.
• ·         Is your home in the middle of a big city? If you open your eyes, you can still see evidences of God’s marvelous creation. A flower pushing its way up between the cracks in the sidewalk. Pigeons flocking around a kind-hearted person in the park who brings bread crumbs to feed them.
• ·         Most of all, as you check on your sleeping children just before you go to bed, take a moment to marvel at the amazing gift God has given you by entrusting these little ones to your care.

You may not think you are gifted to create a song of your own. That doesn’t matter. You can still take a moment to “tell God thank You” for the amazing creation He has prepared for you to enjoy. He has given all that as part of His love gift to you. Enjoy it. And let your amazed and thankful heart be your love gift back to Him.