The Rude Guest

Have you ever had a rude guest?

You invite someone to your house. They arrive late, walk right in, toss their coat on the floor, and sit down and eat the dinner you spent hours preparing, never speaking to you, even to say 'Hi'.  Then they yawn, belch, and tromp upstairs to fall asleep on your bed without saying a word. They never thanked you, or even acknowledged that you were there the entire time.

Wouldn't you be offended?

I mean really- who is this person that they don't even acknowledge you, after you've invited them over, fed them, and gave them a place to rest? Who do they think they are anyway?

Let's take that same scenario, but instead of your home, it's God's grace- and you're the guest. We accept God, accept His blessings, eat the food He provides, take the rest He gives; and the entire time we never acknowledge Him or His blessings.

Wouldn't God be offended?

God put us on this earth to glorify Him, praise Him, and share His word with others. And when we don't, we're that rude house guest, ignoring our Host as we eat, belch, and sleep in His presence.

If we don't acknowledge God, we offend Him.

Glorifying God is our main priority- it's not a side quest. But many times we forget that- myself included. Especially myself included! 

How many times have I forgotten to thank Him for food or shelter, but He blessed me with it anyway? How many times have I received healing, or money just when a bill was due, or any of the other blessings He's provided, and not acknowledged Him for it? Too many.

Munch, Gulp. Belch. Snore. Yep, I've done them all.

It's not always easy to thank God when you're going through trials. But we have to find that little nugget of gratefulness in our souls and thank Him for all that He's done- because we don't always see everything he's done for us. There were times I thought He was completely ignoring me, only to find out later He was working on something in the background on my behalf (20/20 hindsight is always perfect!)
Now, even if I don't see the blessings yet, I thank Him. Not all the time (darn this human self!), but I'm getting better at it. In fact, I've been making it a habit to thank Him every morning, even before I get out of bed.

The best part? Usually when I find one nugget of gratefulness, it leads to a ton of other nuggets!

I thank Him for the things He's done (that I know about), the things He's doing (that I don't know about) and for the gifts He's given me. No more tromping mud on His robes, belching, and snoring my way across His grace; I'm just glad He patient and opens my eyes to my mistakes- and He humbles my heart
enough to repent of them.

Thank You God, for all that You have given me- Yesterday, today and tomorrow. And please keep my eyes open to see Your hand in everything, and to keep my heart repentant and my mind willing to learn. Help me to be a good guest in Your grace and to please You in all things.

Now let me get some detergent for that mud on Your robe....