This morning I had a crazy thought, that being a Floridian I could enjoy a cup of coffee outside at 8am. (Truthfully, I just wanted to enjoy his presence and give him thanks for everything he has done in my life.) The moment was quick as I started to sweat within two minutes of being outside. But in that time, I saw this and was amazed at God and his handiwork, once again.

It made me think about the processes we all go through in life. Whether it’s in our relationship with the Lord, our marriages, children, business or our ministries; it’s hard to find people who are grateful for where they are in the process.

So many are striving. Striving to have more knowledge, striving to have kids be better/smarter, striving for the next position, striving for a pat on the back, striving for their ministry … all those things we want aren’t bad, but the striving for it is.

It’s a distraction, it keeps us from gratitude, it keeps us from his comfort, it keeps us from his encouragement and truthfully it keeps us from growing as quick as he wants us to.

We need to strive to be content in where we are in the process and resting in his presence.

The Lord has been showing me, rest and gratefulness, all week. Just loving where God has me and being so grateful in where I am and who I am.

The other night, he said “Be selfish in this moment with me, just enjoy it”. See, I have a lot of responsibilities so I tend to make it difficult on myself to enter his presence, I allow the distractions to come in and it’s exhausting. When I heard that…I fell to my knees in repentance.

Recently, I read in 2 Samuel, that he looked at David and questioned him about his desire to build his church and he reminded David, that he had a plan, and David’s plan wasn’t his plan.

The Lord God, the King of Kings will build your temple (your relationship with him) he will build your business, he will build your children, he will build your ministry, he has a plan.

We just have to give it to him, quit trying to be better and just be grateful for where we are. We started out as a seed inside another flower, then we were harvested and separated, then planted to become our own flower, we were in the ground, we were watered and left with the SON to do his work in our life. And as we start to sprout, and we see growth, we think we’re grown and ready and we are far from it.

It’s time for us to enter his courts with Thanksgiving for where he has brought us. Even if my reach seems small and I want to have a greater reach, that’s a great goal. But he has the blue print on how to get there. My job is to celebrate what he has done, strive to enter his presence and just love where God has me.

Let’s be grateful again in our infancy stage of where he has us, let’s strive to fully dependent on him and allow him to build his temple within us.

• Elliott said, the seed looks like it’s praying. May we pray, and he does the rest!

Stay tuned for the growth of this baby…I think she will teach many lessons in her growth process.

““So now this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a great name for you like that of the greatest on the earth. I will designate a place for my people Israel and plant them, so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they have done ever since the day I ordered judges to be over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you: The Lord himself will make a house for you.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

One Sunflower seed will produce between 1000-3000 seeds … just stay planted!