Multitude Monday, Take 252

"God owes no man anything. Our very existence has been gifted to us by his grace. While we lament the apparent injustice of pain and suffering, how often do we forget that every good thing in a fallen world is wholly a gift of God's mercy and grace? We think to question God when bridges fall but not to wonder at his grace that every bridge does not. Every fit of laughter, every delectable morsel of food, and every single smile is the result of his mercy and grace; he owes us none of it."
--Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel (p. 30)

Thanking God this week for all that He doesn't owe me but freely gives me, including...

4062. dinner last night with new friends
4063. opportunities to serve others by cooking for them
4064. husband seeing me at my worst and loving me still
4065. Steve's gospel encouragement when I'm having a terrible day
4066. a classic summer farmers' market dinner: BLTs, corn on the cob and fresh blackberries

4067. time spent swimming in our neighbors' pool
4068. Elijah getting so much braver in the water
4069. Jude jumping off the side and saying, "Ah di!" ("I did it!")
4070. a nature cruise on the Cumberland River
4071. a night off to go shopping by myself

4072. compliments on a new shirt
4073. Elijah climbing into our bed in the middle of the night, crying, and snuggling with me
4074. Steve being "mean" and helping me get out of bed when I need to
4075. long periods of daylight around the solstice
4076. speaking to me through Ezekiel

4077. a swimming playdate with friends on a day when we needed to get out
4078. friends helping me out to the car, serving me when the boys and I were all melting down
4079. a difficult but much-needed talk with a dear, dear friend
4080. freedom to cry and be broken with her
4081. her honesty, gentle advice, good questions, vulnerability

4082. the fact that you never have to relive a bad day--no matter how terrible it was, once it's over, it's over.
4083. dinner and conversation with friends we hadn't seen in a long time
4084. Steve helping me in the kitchen even when my poor planning means being up late and leaving a giant mess for the morning
4085. refusing to leave me to myself, chasing after idols
4086. pouring out His wrath on His Son instead of on me