I was pretty cranky this past week.  I tried to shake it, but I wasn’t too successful.  My attitude really stunk and it seemed like everything was a struggle.  To make things even worse, the day I felt the absolute worst was Thanksgiving.

Not exactly the way you would expect a post on gratitude to begin.  Then again it wasn’t exactly the way I expected my week to go either. I had a wonderful time the previous week immersed in the things of God.  I was on top of the world.  Then I crashed. 

It’s easy to be grateful on the mountain top.  It’s easy to give God thanks when His presence is surrounding you in a tangible way.  It’s easy to have God’s perspective when God is all you see.  But how do you respond when you “crash”–do you still give thanks in all things?

I didn’t.  At least I didn’t give thanks in all things.  I wish I could say I did, but I didn’t.  My attitude did stink for at least part of the time.  But, praise God, it was only part of the time.  I’m not yet at the place where I always give thanks in all things and I certainly don’t always have an attitude of gratitude at all times–but I am learning.  I’m growing.  I’m not where I need to be, but I’m not where I used to be either.  That in itself is worth giving thanks for.   It seems to be a painfully slow process, but I do see little glimmers of His character being made manifest in my life here and there–and I am grateful.

We glimpse the character of Christ on the mountain top and we live the character of Christ in the valley.  It’s in the valley that we need to maintain the perspective we’ve gained while gazing upon His beauty in the heights of glory.  If we are truly beholding Him we should start to become like Him as He transforms us from “glory to glory.”  It’s what happens in between the “glory”s that tests the reality of our life in Him.  It’s what determines our perspective.

Life is filled with good days and not so good days.  Trying to stay on the mountain top isn’t the goal…bringing the mountain into the valley is the goal.  That’s what Jesus did.  If we truly recognized how high He dwells and how low He stooped to save us, I doubt we would ever lose our perspective again.  I doubt we’d ever fail to be grateful.  But in our humanity we just don’t see that clearly all that often.

But one thing I do see clearly is ths … He owes me nothing.  And I do really mean nothing.  No matter how long I walk with Him the truth is still the same…my righteousness is as filthy rags.  I can never ‘earn’ one single thing from Him.  Despite this fact, He gave me everything… “He who did not spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all, how then will He not also with Him, freely give us all things?”   Does knowing this make every day easy?  No.  But when I keep this reality before me it does give me a paradigm for profound gratitude in ALL things.  I don’t yet walk it out in all things, but I do know it is real. This life really is a vapor.   No matter how challenging our existence is here it doesn’t compare to what’s before us for all of eternity.  Everything beyond the fact that we will see Him and dwell with Him forever is gravy.  And He even gives us LOTS of gravy.

Even though I know these things, I still take my eyes off the prize for a moment or two (or longer!) here and there.  Chance are you do too.  But fortunately I have discovered another reason for profound gratitude…a relentless Love that keeps on loving even in my imperfection and weakness.   A Love that keeps loving even on bad days and through stinky attitudes.   A Love that keeps loving through all the struggles of the valley.

A Love for which I am deeply and profoundly grateful…even when I’m cranky.

I’ve been at IHOP in KC for the past few days.  It is both wonderful and dangerous for me to be here.  Wonderful because my heart is fed and stirred here.  Dangerous because my heart is fed and stirred here.  Each time I come it seems things are getting a little deeper—and a little more intense.  It is glorious and it is sobering.  It is also just a beginning.  My spirit has been incredibly provoked with the reality that we settle for so little.   It’s not okay.

I’ve had the words of Tim Hughes song “Consuming Fire” going through my mind over and over again:

There must be more than this
Oh Breath of God, come breathe within

There must be more than this
Spirit of God we wait for You

Fill us anew we pray, fill us anew we pray… 

Consuming Fire fan into flame
A passion for Your name
Spirit of God would you fall in this place?
Lord have Your way, Lord have Your way with us.    

There is more than this.  Much more.  But He is never the limiting factor, it is always us.  The key is in the last line of that chorus:  Lord have Your way. 

Ever wonder what it really looks like for God to have His way?  Not our idea of His way—but for Him to really have His way.  Here’s a hint—when He does have His way, your opinion doesn’t count.  My opinion doesn’t count. Our preferences, the limitations of our current theology and understanding, our boundaries—they don’t count one little bit.  If we insist on clinging to the false sense of security we get from hanging onto our own personal comfort zone, He will never fully have His way with us.  And we’ll never fully know the “more.”

Since I seem to be chewing on challenging lyrics these days, I’ve also been pondering a couple of lines from Misty Edwards’ song, “Always on His Mind.”  Every time I sing the words, How far will You let me go?  How abandoned will You let me be?  I sense the Lord turning the question right back to me… “How far will you let Me take you?  How abandoned are you willing to be?”   It’s the answers to those questions that will determine if God will ever truly have His way in me. 

There is more.  And in pockets all around the globe our ever merciful God is beginning to allow the truly hungry to taste the “more.”   It is just a beginning.  Really, it’s just a trickle.  But it’s real and there is more.  So much more.  So, so, so much more.

Yes, there is more than this.  And God will have His way in the earth.  But if we want to participate in the “more” the question for us individually is much more personal… 

Will He have His way in me?  Will He have His way in you?   

“Spirit of God fall in this place.  Lord, have Your way.”

I need Jesus.  Still.  Always.  Forever. 

Life is busy.  I can’t get my laundry done.  I can’t keep up on email or bills.  I eat on the run.  I feel like I live in my car.   And I always feel like I’m behind on at least a dozen really important things.  So I need Jesus. 

Life is busy, but I do have time for Him.  I make time for Him.  I’m way too busy not to spend time with Him. 

I have lots to write an upate on.  Someday I will.  But not today.  Today I have a lunch date with Jesus and time is ticking away.

The rest can wait.  It has to…because I need Jesus.