Daily Gratitude Year 4-Day 285: Today, I am grateful that gratitude clears our vision and opens our hearts to the Holy Spirits comfort and guidance.
This has been my Daily Gratitude-Year 4 lesson. "Vision clears in a grateful heart". Simple as that.
We are never gong to completely understand the struggles of this world. The front window view can be blurred by rain, debris, ice or darkness. Hindsight might be 20/20 but not always. There are certain trials and griefs we may never understand... as my sweet friend Barb once said... this side of heaven.
Still, there is profound thing that happens through the act of intentional gratitude. Our vision clears. We start to see God's face in even the toughest stuff. We see his "winks" and we hear his voice. We feel his presence. His Holy Spirit fills, surrounds and rocks us like a mother rocks a baby.
You know, I have never thought about that image, but I think it is true. The Holy Spirit is referred to as "The Comforter". Think warm quilt... rocking in Mama's arms... or a fierce protector. In times of trouble, never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit unleashed in any situation. Never doubt his presence. Jesus asked and we received.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever," John 14:16
His gift. Our defender and counselor.
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."-John 14:26
His voice whispers the just the right scripture for the moment.
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. -John 16:7
The omnipresent Holy Spirit of the Living God that was not part human. That was not what the disciples wanted to hear. They didn't want things to change. They wanted Jesus present in human form for a happily-ever-after. But, that was not where the story would end.
"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; -John 16:8
The Holy Spirit comes in strength... and power... and with conviction. I don't always enjoy that conviction part, but I need it. Sometimes, responding to his convictions on our hearts is exactly what clears our vision. Gratitude is a component in unleashing the power of Christ in our lives through his spirit.
Gratitude and the Holy Spirit combined are a little like the windshield and wipers on our cars.
The shield protects us from the elements. Together, they persistently sweep at the struggles to clear our vision. The rain or snow continue but we can press on through the storm. We can see more clearly because of their presence.
He doesn't always stop the rain, put he protects us. His Spirit will keep us safe and make it more manageable. Gratitude... can be a constant presence clearing our vision. Gratitude can be practiced until it is rhythmic like the swish, swish, swish of the wiper.
In fact, sometimes the rain stops and it takes a minute before we turn off the wipers. We grow comfortable with the movement. So comfortable, we don't notice the rain has stopped. When we sing His praise through the storms of life... the storm ends and we don't even notice, because we are in gratitude mode.
Gratitude... like that automatic wiper. Constant. Vision clearing. Comforting.
Today, I am grateful that gratitude clears our vision and opens our hearts to the Holy Spirits comfort and guidance.
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