Thankfulness Part II: Or "Oh snap! I need to repent!"

Romans 8 tells us that for those who love God all things work together for good. That is comforting...But how much do I love God? In John we are told that if we love Him, we will keep his commandments. Do we? Do I? The ten commandments are pretty straightforward, right?

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me." I don't worship any other gods. But sometimes I put things before God. 
2. "You shall not make idols." I don't make idols. But sometimes I devote myself to things that I shouldn't.
3. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain."  I don't take the name of the Lord my God in vain...oh wait...I need to work on that. I actually do that an awful lot.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." I go to church every Sunday, but do I keep my mind on the Lord? Do I dedicate the day wholly to God? Oh, no...I guess I don't always do that.
5. "Honor your father and your mother." But I'm an adult. This one is just for kids, right? You don't understand...my parents do some dumb stuff...
6. "You shall not murder." I have DEFINITELY never murdered anyone! Well, not physically. But I know I've killed someone's spirit with malicious words.
7. "You shall not commit adultery." Bryan is my one and only! I'm a one man kind of girl! But I've put other things before Bryan. I've been known to give way too much time to social media or television instead of taking that opportunity to strengthen our marriage.
8. "You shall not steal." I don't steal things! But have I stolen someone's joy? Have I ruined someone's testimony by tempting them into gossip? Have I wasted time that should have been given to God? To not tithe is to steal from God...Have I not tithed? (That's a subject for another day!) There are so many ways to steal.
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." I don't lie to people. But what about planting seeds of untruth through gossip? Or speaking of someone/something without full knowledge or understanding? Or accusing? Ummm...I do that sometimes, too.
10. "You shall not covet." This one just flew right out the window. To covet doesn't just mean to want something of someone else's. It also means to wish for, long for or crave. I'm always wanting a car like so-and-so's, or I wish my hair looked like hers, or why can't my house be decorated as nicely as theirs? Yeah. I covet.

When I think about it, the commandments aren't just  about physically stealing, killing or stepping out on my spouse. I feel that the commandments are there to cover my psychological and mental humanity also. I know none of us deserve the blessings that we are given. I know I've never done anything to deserve my healthy children or my handsome, loving husband. But all of a sudden, I am hit with just how much I don't deserve it. Anything that the Lord blesses me with, He gives me because he is gracious and merciful. With this knowledge, how much more grateful should I be for my blessings? I get so mad when my children are ungrateful for the things they have! But aren't we God's children? He provides for us, yet we are always wanting something more. Sometimes it isn't good enough. Isn't it easier to do nice things for someone when they are THANKFUL for it? When they appreciate it? 

I need to be more thankful in my blessings and humble myself in repentance and contrition before God. I see myself, outwardly, as a pretty good person, but I also see an awful lot of room for improvement in my soul.