Praise in the Present
“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalms 126:3)
When I last posted, I referenced The Vessel phone app. I have now been using this app for twenty-six days and it has become part of my morning routine. In those twenty-six days, I have experienced a noticeable difference in my spirit and life. While the daily verse is just one verse, the explanation the writers on the app offer has helped grow my perspective of the Word. The thought-provoking question they pose every day helps apply a different verse to my personal life. And the workout challenge has inspired me to start working out every day. This “Trifecta” of “spirit, soul, body” is why, I believe, I am seeing a noticeable difference in my life. Spending time in the Good Book, thinking about each verse and how it applies to me personally, and then working on my physical health is that perfect formula to maintain a healthy life. And now I have done it long enough to build the habit, and I am feeling great.
The verse above was today’s verse. The explanation of this simple sentence was simply beautiful. They wrote about pausing the busyness and spending time to reflect on your life and appreciate where you are in this moment; what answered prayers are you currently living in that you have forgotten you prayed for simply because God answered them slowly and without splendor. My whole life right now is an answered prayer and reflecting on that this morning really helped ground my soul in praise for everything around me. I know I get on this platform and mostly use it to point out the injustices in the world, but today, I do want to take a moment to give my thanks to God for all He has done in my life.
The question the application asked The Vessel Community was: “What’s something that feels normal to you now but would have been a dream to your younger self?” My immediate answer was my career, as I am working in a field that as a child I had pretended to be, dressing up as a detective and solving silly crimes around the house. But expanding farther than that, my whole life right now is exactly what my younger self dreamed of. A beautiful wife, a beautiful family, a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood nestled in a wonderful community that feels more like a small town than a bustling expansion of our northern, growing port-city of Savannah, GA. My children are thriving in school and in the things that interest them. Our church gives us the opportunity to spread the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission every Sunday as we lead the three and four-year-old classes. I am extremely grateful for this life God has gifted me with and I praise Him in the present.
I do feel guilty to celebrate this life I have been gifted with when so many do not have the opportunity we have as Americans. This world is full of darkness, and the devil is still thriving as its ruler. We fail every day to bring Heaven down to earth, to reflect the will of the Father in the way we take care of one another. I do not know why God has blessed my life with the abundance He has, but I am grateful for every aspect of it.
On Friday night, our family watched “Toy Story 5”, and Disney continues to keep those toys’ adventures relevant. The writers are doing their best to teach us the importance of human connection. If you have little children and have not watched this latest addition to the storyline, I highly recommend it. The toys face their greatest threat yet as “Tech” has moved in to push out playtime with classic toys. It is a little ironic that I write this on here, as tech is the only way for me to share my thoughts, but this newest “Toy Story” did a wonderful job reminding the importance of human connection and spending time appreciating the simpler things in life, while also highlighting the advantages of using technology to improve our lives. It is all about finding that happy balance, which is not always easy, but it is achievable. I have learned this over the last three weeks as I rearranged how I managed my days, establishing a 15–30-minute period to work out in the evenings, which has allowed me to bring my two youngest children into calisthenics training and help instill a passion for fitness and functionality. It took some work, but I have built that perfect daily schedule, training my mind, spirit, and soul at the start of each day, and training my physical body in the evenings.
With that, I will wrap this up. Put the device down, put the computer into sleep mode, get outside, play with your kids, spend time in the community, go for a walk, lace up those running shoes, do some push-ups, download the Vessel app. Enjoy this beautiful life that God has gifted you with. And praise Him in the present moment. Just remember, if you are not praising Him, the rocks and all creatures, great and small, will cry out for Him. You might as well join in too.
