I Don't...Want to Take You For Granted - Proverbs 31:10-15

The hot water came out whenever I turned on the shower this morning.  The garage door went up when I pushed the button.  The car went forward whenever I put the gear shift in "D" and pushed on the accelerator.  My computer was in my office when I arrived.  These are things I didn't lose sleep over last night because I didn't even think about them when I went to bed.  As I rose up this morning, I presumed they would all work.  In a sense, I just take them all for granted till they are no longer working or in existence.

You can probably come up with your short list of things which you take for granted.  Mine is not exhaustive.  It is practically impossible to think about all the different people in my life all the time.  However, I don't believe you must do that in order to not take them for granted.  

Yesterday, we continued on our journey of exploring "I Don't" phrases associated with relationships.  The one we looked at yesterday explored taking people close to us for granted.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Think about a person that is close to you (spouse, parent, sibling, etc.) and what it would be like if they were no longer in your life.  Then, see if you can think of 10 things to tell them that you like or appreciate about them.
2. Think about someone who you do not have much contact, generally, with and imagine the same thing and do the same thing - let them know they are appreciated.
3. Pledge to yourself that you will appreciate the people closest to you more.
4. Pray for people you don't normally pray for - whether you think they need it or not.
5. Praise God for the people in your life that He's blessed you with.  Also, don't forget to praise Him for the material things you've been blessed with, understanding they are still "things".

One of the best ways to not take someone for granted is to simply think about them.  Most of the time when we take someone for granted we are simply not thinking about them.  We presume they'll be here later.  We presume we'll have a chance to be around them. These presumptions are fueled by other "items" on our priority list that are taking precedence.

Take some time to think about people.  Look around this week, where you're at (school, work, etc.) and SEE different people, maybe for the first time!  Say a prayer of praise that you get to be in their life.

Appreciate!





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