Lord, I thank you for all the years that I have grown, almost as much in skill and wisdom as in spirit! I feel like I know so very little… but yesterday in talking to my niece, I was reminded where I was 15 years ago, and I got one of those “WOW!” moments when I actually got to see just how much I HAVE grown! Of course, this has very little to do with ME, and everything to do with YOU, Lord. It is your Spirit, your Word, your mercy that has caused this growth in me. All I ever do is look to you, including you in my thoughts, in my considerations of most any little decision I make during the day — and all those countless little ones that I make seemingly by myself alone, I trust YOU to barge in and let me know if I go off track, giving me a CHANCE to obey your Spirit, to do things your way instead of my own. It seems so simple, now that I have had years and years of experience with it. AND I THANK YOU again for all your amazing mercies while I went through that time where I was drinking alcohol to the point of stupidity, several days a week, and causing stomach upset and other discomforts in the days between! I watch people around me go through that now that I have the perspective of 3 years since I’ve taken a drink… and I feel absolutely LUCKY that your loving mercy helped me escape that labyrinth, Lord. Without you, I would be absolutely NOTHING, just a miserable, hopeless little human that I would not even recognize as myself. I owe EVERYTHING to you, Lord. So once again, I give you my time, my mind, my hands, my heart, my work, my play, my day. It is all yours, faithful Shepherd. Lead on!