T.H.E. Thing to Do +

The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!
Deuteronomy 30:6 NLT

In the engineering realm, they use acronyms for everything - more so than even IT people. Some of the acronyms make sense because the thing to which they refer would take 5 minutes to say. Some of them are silly or misleading. For instance, 'lb' - To most people, that refers to pounds, but to my company it means, 'lay barge.' Fortunately, I used to be quite good at solving acronyms. In fact, I find them to be a lot of fun, and on occasion, try to create them - mostly for a laugh.

I think I've mentioned before the one created as a result from learning the rules of driving for the state of Missouri. In most of the country, a stop sign is literal. It means stop. In Missouri, it's an acronym for S.low T.o O.bvious P.ause. BIG difference. In engineering, STOP is an acronym for Safety Training Observation Program. It's all about what you're used to and where you are…and remembering where you’re supposed to be and what you’re supposed to be doing. That’s T.H.E. thing.

Sometimes in life, we get into a situation that becomes a habit. Sometimes, they're not good habits. And in the course of it, we get lazy and we gain weight or become unhealthy. Sometimes, a season in life seems to last so long that we get tunnel vision and can't see life or God from any other angle. So we stay there because that is what we have allowed ourselves to become used to. We say, 'Well, this is where I am.' Sometimes we even go so far as to say, 'This is where God has me.' because we only look inward instead of up and around and we lose sight.

So what is T.H.E. thing to do that can change it? What if you really can't change the circumstances of where you are? What if it really IS where God has you for the time being? And what if you really don't like it? What can change? What is T.H.E. thing YOU can do to change it?

Psalm 107:8, Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! We can thank God for something - for anything. Sometimes when I mention that to a person, their response will be, 'What for? What do I have in my life to thank God for? I have nothing. I am nothing.'  Hmmm, how about that He lets you live and breathe and doesn't just strike you dead for whining? Or thank Him because He's changed MY heart so that I don't have the inclination to just smack you for whining? Just kidding... 

This isn't a new concept. We've talked about this before. Finding one thing to be thankful for –  You want to be heart-whole? You want heart health? Develop that muscle to be strong! I have created a form called T.H.E. Thing To Do list. T.H.E. stands for T.hankful H.eart E.xercise. I think it’s self-explanatory. If you want a copy to use, just let me know. Try it for one week. Make it T.H.E. Thing to do.

Prayer:

Father, 
           Forgive us when we don’t recognize Your faithfulness and goodness to us. We do know that You are God and every good and perfect gift comes from You, even when they’re not packaged quite as we would like. Thank You, Father, for loving us enough to give us what we need. Give us grateful hearts to recognize Your love. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen