Count Your Blessings

As I was looking at post titles, I realized that four of the last six deal with the trials of this journey. I did promise God to journal every part of this for my sophomores to read, and much of that journal has wound up here. I think it is important that my kids understand that when God calls on them in the future to enter into impossible praying that it is not always easy, fun and exciting; it is a test of true faith and determination. What God drew my attention to however, was that I was becoming too focused on the trials and not on the blessings; that I was becoming one of those religious people Matthew 6 talks about...you know them, the ones who let you know just how much they suffer for Jesus. God has been too good to me throughout this time for me to be so focused on the trials. He deserves better than this. I asked Him to help me recall all the blessings He has poured out on this request already and before I knew it I had a list of over 20 ways He has directed, blessed and answered prayers. The song says to "count your blessings" so I am...at least all the ones I can remember this late at night:
1. UNINTIMIDATED
2. Pastor already knowing about UNINTIMIDATED before I worked up courage to talk to him
3. God showing Stephanie what He meant when He said, "Pray bigger"
4. Finding out why God said no to the kids meeting Tebow in Denver
5. God showing both Stephanie and I at separate times why we needed to become prayer warriors for Tebow
6. Drew seeing God's hand move in this request so quickly
7. Niki being able to see that God really does know what our needs are before we ask Him
8. Finding out that my letter was not in the great abyss of the Broncos' organization
9. Isabel's commitment to UNINTIMIDATED has helped her to be more committed to her own personal devotions and prayer time
10. Jefferson spending a weekend studying His Bible and praying seeking God's will over joining UNINTIMIDATED
11. Tebow not joining Dancing With the Stars
12. Tebow not joining The Bachelor
13. Stephanie becoming my prayer partner
14. God's promise in Matthew 18:19 that my kids will meet Tebow somehow, someway
15. Pastor's advice on the letter I received from the Tebow Foundation and for him not thinking this is crazy!!!!
16. The sermon affirming that faith is indeed a choice, not an emotion
17. Beth's posts on Face Book...may as well have been God posting them
18. Steph's advice to blog my journal
19. Janet joining us in prayer because of the blog
20. God's revelation to enlist Tebow as a prayer partner
21. A better understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit
22. Another student wanting accountability in her life as she witnessed the sophomores' daily commitment to pray

The song ends with, "see what God hath done," and tonight I truly do.