Psalm 136

Have you ever talked to a two year old? Man... sometimes, I've felt like a broken record.
"Don't put that in your mouth, (insert any toddler's name), ok?"
"Hey (curious child), don't put that (leaf, toy car, dog food, necklace, paint, etc.) in your mouth!"
"(Smug, rebellious kid)! STOP! You DON'T eat that, either!"

And then, you have to do the Heimlich on him because the kid thought it would be cool to try to swallow 47 cents while you were changing his twin brother's diaper.
Or, maybe that's just my life.
I digress.

We repeat statements when they're important, and we repeat phrases that require attention. God wants us to realize something when we read or hear this psalm. Let me show you a few verses.

"¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁴ Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁵ Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁶ Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁷ Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
⁹ and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever."
Psalm 136:1-9

Did you catch it? Ok, you read it. You get it. But, do you REALLY get it?

Give thanks. His faithful love endures forever.

Today was an interesting day for me. I wasted pretty much every second of my day up until I forced myself to go for a run around 4. I fell into the black hole of social networking and lost track of time. I HATE when I do that. I'm training for a marathon, but the past few weeks have been spotty. According to my schedule, I have a 13 mile run today. Granted, I should have been running all week.
I procrastinated all day, finally put on my cool ninja outfit (black compression pants, a long sleeve black athletic shirt, and a black head band), and headed out the door.

For the first 5 miles, I wasn't too pleased with myself. I was frustrated at my lack of accomplishment and overflow of distraction. As I rounded the southernmost tip of Manhattan, the beauty of God stopped me mid-step. The sun sank down behind Lady Liberty's outstretched arm, and families from all over the world were soaking it in. Oranges, pinks, and purples splashed across a canvas of clouds.

"God, you love me, don't you," was the only response I could fathom.
"I do, and it's not based on your productivity, your faithfulness, your spirituality, or your holiness. My love for you is based on me and what I've done. You can't mess this up," I heard my Father reply.

His faithful love endures forever.

Thank You, thank You, thank You.