Praise Him, Praise Him

Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noon time
Praise Him, Praise Him
Praise Him when the sun goes down

I grew up signing this catchy little song.  Now, some 30 years later, I am still signing it.  And I'm still off-key and out of tune, as I was not blessed with any musical ability whatsoever.  My 3 little girls (ages 6 weeks, 2 years, and 4 years) don't seem to mind, though.  They just join in and sing along with me (well, the baby just listens but I am sure she will be part of the choir before too long).

One would think if I am signing the song, I would be living out the lyrics too.  Oh how I wish that was true.  Instead, as we embark on this new year, God seems to be showing me that I am not praising Him morning, noon, and night.  I'm not even taking the time to praise Him as I begin my day, let alone every second after my feet hit the bedroom floor.

And that right there is the issue.  I'm not taking the time.  Making the time.  That's a problem.  A big one.

Yes, I am a busy mother of 3 small girls, but that's not an excuse.  At least not a good one.
Yes, I am a wife and "household manager" in charge of the laundry and cleaning and meals and whatever all else needs to be done to make sure we are clothed and fed and well-kept.  Again, not a good excuse.  Not in God's book.
Yes, I am also a daycare provider, taking care of 3 other precious children during the day.
Yes, I have multiple other things on my plate and wear various other hats.  Don't we all?

Well, then, I guess none of us have a good excuse as to why we aren't praising God throughout our day.

So, let's do something to change that!!

But, let's think baby steps.  I, for one, get kind of overwhelmed at the thought of singing words of praise all day long.  Instead, I just need to practice saying, "Thank you," more often.  As I develop the habit of THANKING God, I believe I will be more inclined to PRAISE Him too.

When I wake up in the morning, I want to thank Him for the new day.
As I take my shower, I can thank Him for hot water.
While I eat my breakfast, I can thank Him for food.

Those are pretty easy though.

How about, when I do laundry, while I am folding and put away countless shirts and pants and skirts and underwear, while I am trying to find the match for the lone sock, I can thank God for clothes to wear.

Or as I load the dishwasher yet again, I can thank Him for the empty dishes that represent full bellies.

When I answer the question, "Why?" for the 487th time or pick up spilled Cheerios or change another dirty diaper or tell the children to stop fighting over a blue crayon when there are at least 9 others in the container of crayons, I can thank Him for the privilege of being a mom, for the health of my children, for the opportunity to be at home with them (even if I want to pull my hair out and am begging for a simple 30 minutes out of the house or even just the chance to go to the bathroom by myself).

It's all about perspective.  And if I can start THANKING God for the "little" things, I bet I will find myself praising Him all the day long.

Today, I started reading a book my dear friend gave to me several years ago.  I pulled it out of hiding, figuring its title 31 Days of Praise was fitting for what God seems to be trying to teach me.  I know I need all the help I can get as I set out to live a life of praise!

I was both encouraged and challenged by Ruth Myer's words:

In spite of all God has provided, including the Holy Spirit's presence and power, we don't automatically praise and give thanks.  Nor will you find praise all of a sudden springing up in full bloom as soon as you start praying about it.  Praise flourishes as you weed and water and fertilize your spiritual garden in which it grows.  It become more constant as you nurture your soul on God's Word and walk in His ways, depending upon the Holy Spirit.  It gets richer and more spontaneous as you grow in your knowledge of how worthy the Lord is to receive honor and glory and praise.

But even then praise does not automatically flow from your life day after day, hour after hour.  You must choose to cultivate the habit of praise, taking steps that will enrich your praise life.

And so, I am going to work on choosing to be thankful.  I want to be intentional about saying, "Thank you," throughout the day, even when I don't feel like it.  Especially when I don't feel like it.

Will you join me?  Let's learn how to THANK God so we can learn how to PRAISE God.

After all, there is another verse to the song:

Thank Him, Thank Him
Thank Him in the morning
Thank Him in the noon time
Thank Him, Thank Him
Thank Him when the sun goes down

Maybe whoever wrote the song knew something about how thanks and praise are connected?
I'm guessing he/she did!