"The balm of gratitude"

I stole this phrase from Anne Lamott. I'd like to extrapolate on my gratitude, because I do believe it's a balm beyond comparison. I'm thankful for the way God reveals things to us. As Lamott puts it, "if you are paying attention, plenty is being revealed" (2012:52). And I do believe that; I've seen God reveal the truth to me lately in a way that sets me free, a way that helps me realize that the old wineskin just won't do anymore.

Gratitude is a balm of relief because it takes us to the place of revelation and reframing (Lamott's words, again). It takes us out of our fear of pain and failure and into a place where we feel the delights of sand on our toes, the eyefull of a ocean shore, and the reassuring warmth of the sun on our skin -- again. The Lord seeks to refresh us from our weary states, and to enable us to live fully again, no matter what is needing balm. His balm is all-in-one. I'm so thankful for the resilience I find in Him. I bounce back changed every time, not worse off than before, but understanding a bit more about how He loves me, and experiencing in a new way his balm of comfort, freedom, and power.