Windows of heaven

Here are some more treasures from "Jesus Calling", by Sarah Young

A thankful attitude opens windows of heaven [what a neat image!] Spiritual blessings fall freely onto you through those openings into eternity. Moreover, as you look up with a grateful heart, you get glimpses of Glory through those windows.

Every time something thwarts your plans or desires, use that as a reminder to communicate with Me. Begin by practicing this discipline in all the little disappointments of daily life. It is often these minor setback that draw you away from My presence. When you reframe setbacks as opportunities, you find that you gain much more than you lost

You seem to think I empower you equally each day, but this is not so. Your tendency upon wakening is to assess the difficulties ahead of you, measuring them against your average strength. I know what each of your days will contain, and I empower you accordingly. Try to view challenging days as opportunities to receive more of My power than usual.

When the patriarch Jacob ran away from his enraged brother, he went to sleep on a stone pillow in a land that seemed desolate. But after dreaming about heaven and angels and promises of My Presence, he awoke and exclaimed: "Surely the Lord is in the place, and i was not aware of it."  His discovery was not only for him, but or all who see Me. Whenever you feel distant from Me, say: "Surely the Lord is in this place." Then ask Me to give you awareness of My presence. This is a prayer I delight to answer.

In the darkness of adversity, you are able to see more clearly the radiance of My face.

Talk with Me about everything, letting the Light of My presence shine on your hopes and plans. Spend time allowing My light to infuse your dreams with life, gradually transforming them into reality. This is a very practical way of collaborating with Me. I, the Creator of the universe, wish to co-create with you. Do not try to hurry this process.

Events may seem to occur randomly, with little or no meaning. People who view the world this way have overlooked one basic fact: the limitations of human understanding. What you know of the world you inhabit is only the tip of the iceberg. Submerged beneath the surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast for you to comprehend.

Living in collaboration with Me is a way to instill meaning into your days.

An ongoing problem is like a tutor who is always by your side. The learning possibilities are limited only by your willingness to be teachable.

Once you have become grateful for a problem, it loses its power to drag you down.

On Christmas Day:  I set aside My glory so that I could identify with mankind, accepting the limitations of infancy under the most appalling conditions. The process I went through is reversed in your experience. As you identify with Me, heaven's vistas open up before you - granting you glimpses of My glory. I became poor that you might become rich.

How much better it is to walk close to Me, depending on My strength and trusting Me  in every situation. If you live in this way, you will do less but accomplish far more. Your unhurried pace of living will stand out in this rush-crazed age.

I care as much about your tiny trust-steps through daily life as about your dramatic leaps of faith.

As you grow closer to Me, I open your eyes to see more and more of My presence all around you. Things that most people hardly notice, like shifting shades of sunlight, fill you with heart-bursting joy. You have eyes that see and ears that hear, so proclaim My abiding presence in the world.